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The  independent  MONTHLY  magazine  for  T/S1000.ZX81  users 


48516 


U.S.  Postage 
paid 

Permit  #  527 
Norwood,  MA 


Software,  hardware  &  books  reviewe 


Umax  Computers  Ltd.  end  Sinclair  Research  Ltd.  do  not  sponsor  nor  take  responsibility  for  this  magazines  content.  Permission  hatfWn  §rai 


Graphics 
made  easy 

8  pages^fi 
programs i  \ 


use  this  title. 


tv 


& 


Sendtor your  FREE 

catalog  Today. 

_ _ ci£>rtroniCS'  UV 


CaUN^  •-  .  ,  nur 

NEW  from  ®\adSogEwmake  you 
TS1000/ZX81  cata'°a90nebe1ore'.Vou 
where  no  other  has  g  0<  up-to- 

wlU  view  the  «i^st  se;ndhardware 

date  software.  <he  m0st  from 

^^^■TN9eX^ 

vour  personal  con  h  |jsts 

new  3^  Page  ^  an(j  tamity  games, 

arcade, ,an!^  Lucationat  programs, 

business  and  educar  ^  as 
books  for  beg'"  Jg.  hardWare  add-ons 

experienced  U  g  for  use  with 

and  other  penP^era'H  me  Computer! 
your  TStOOO  f  *81  Ho  bel0w  and 

Use  the  conveniem  P  TODAY' 

send  tor  your  FRttc 


Clip  and  mail  or  circle  reader  service  0  37 


GLaOSTOnE-tjf-ELECTROMCS 


1585  Kenmore  Ave. ;  Buffalo,  N.Y.  14217 

Orders  only  call  toll  free  1-80O- 833-84 DO 


For  further  information  (716)  874-5510 
in  Canada  calf  toll  free  ! -800-268-3640 
or  (416)787-1446 


Mail  orders  to  Gladstone  Elec  ironies  *nc., 
1585  Kenmore  Ave..  Butta*o,  NY.  14217 


Dg  Please  RUSH  my  FREE  catalog  to  me  Today! 

IM 


Name 


Address. 


C»tv 


Sate 


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Timex  announces 
a  new  personal  printer. 

Just  for  the  record. 


Now  Timex  brings  you  a  printer  to  go  with  your  Timex  Sinclair  1000 (M 
or  Sinclair  ZX81. 

The  new  Timex  Sinclair  2040. 


32  columns  wide.  Two  lines  per  second.  With  full  graphics  and  text  capa¬ 
bility  based  on  a  dot  matrix  print  mechanism. 

The  price:  just  $99.95. 


The  TS  2040  operates  silently  in  two  different  modes: 

□  Full-screen  printing  with  single-key  copy  command. 

□  Program-controlled  printing  mode  allowing  for  custom  control 
of  the  printing  format. 

A  printer  that  can  give  you  a  permanent  record  of  your  computer 
programming  at  a  very  affordable  price. 

Just  what  you'd  expect  from  Timex. 


TIMEX  COMPUTERS 


For  more  information,  circle  1  on  Header  Service  Card. 


C  Timex  Computer  Corporation  1983 


1 


President 

Terry  Cartwright 

Editor-in-chief 
John  Sterlicchi 

Managing  Editor 

Joseph  Gladstone 

Art  director 

Vladyana  Krykorka 


Clive  (urns  computers  to  cosh,  page  66 


Education  myths  exploded,  page  22 


Production  editor 

Bill  Gladstone 

Art  assistants 

Andres  Hannach 
Don  Kletke 
Gwen  Egan 

Technical  advisors 

Robert  Fraser 
Igor  Nowikow 
Tom  Perrone 

Editorial  assistant 

Becky  Ashwell 

Chairman 
Richard  Hease 

Timex  Sinclair  User  is 
published  monthly  by  ECC 
Publications  Inc.  in 
conjunction  with  C.W. 

Co  mmunic  ations/I  nc , 

If  you  would  like  to 
contribute  to  Timex  Sinclair 
User,  please  send  programs, 
articles  or  ideas  for  hardware 
projects  to: 

Timex  Sinclair  User 
49  LaSalle  Avenue 
Buffalo,  N.Y.  14214 
Programs  should  be  on 
cassette  and  articles  should 
be  typed.  If  you  wish  your 
material  returned,  enclose  a 
stamped,  self-addressed 
envelope. 

We  pay  $20  for  each  program 
published  and  $100  per  1000 
words  for  each  article  used. 


©  Copyright  1983 
Timex  Sinclair  User 
ISSN  0737-0881 
Typesetting  by 
I  nternationaJ  T y peset ti  ng 
Printers 

Clark  Franklin  Kingston  Press 
Advertising  manager 

Bill  York 
Hajar  Associates 
(617)  444-3946 


2 


TIMEXPECTATIONS  _ 3 

Why  doesn’t  Timex  provide  more  a/ier-sole  support? 

LETTERS  _ 0 

"The  T/S1000  is  more  than  a  toy" 

SOFTWARE  _ _ _ 7 

Space  and  adventure  games  and  an  assembler  program  reviewed 

HARDWARE _  12 

In  search  of  a  golden  memory 

NEWS  - _  14 

T/S10GG  and  ZX81  combined  sales  over  1,6  million;  Clive  Sinclair  awarded;  and 

more 

SPECIAL  OFFER  , _ . _  15 

Save  30%  from  the  price  of  The  1983  Sinclair  User  Annual 

COVER;  THE  GREAT  CONNECTICUT  KIT-BUILDING  EXPERIMENT _  1 6 

Teacher  Chris  Baldwin  helped  28  kids  build  computers  from  kits 

EDUCATION  _ __  _ _ : _ 22 

Charles  Durang  explodes  same  old  myths  about  computers  in  the  classroom 

FOCUS:  CHESS  SOFTWARE _ _  _ __  _ 28 

Check  our  guide  to  chess  programs  before  you  make  a  move 

HOW  TO  PROGRAM  30 

Part  two  of  John  Gilbert  s  Jive-part  senes 

PROGRAM  PRINTOUT  33 

Bowhng,  Alien  Lure,  Laser  Cannon  and  other  great  new  games 

HINTS  &  TIPS  _ I _  42 

Michael  K.  Barnett  explains  how  to  start  using  TfS  graphics 

PROJECT;  EPROM  BLOWER  46 

Complete  plans  to  build  your  own  Erasable,  Programmable  ROM 

USER  GROUPS  — - -  56 

Is  your  group  included  in  our  notional  listing? 

STARTING  OUT  61 

What  to  do  once  your  TISiOOO,ZX8i  is  home  from  the  store 

U.K-  WINDOW  — _ _ _  63 

Sinclair  users  in  Britain  eagerly  await  two  new  expansion  systems 

PROFILE:  CLIVE  SINCLAIR  -  _  66 

A  glimpse  of  the  man  who  made  computers  accessible  to  nearly  everyone 

BOOKS  _ -  _  68 

A  kids  book  that  will  dehght  beginners  of  alt  ages;  all  about  ROMs;  and  more 

CONTEST  70 

Win  $20  for  a  clever,  different,  strange  or  unusual  program 

BULLETIN  BOARD  71 

New  product  information  and  upcoming  events 


•Inside  a  T/S1000 
computer  camp! 
•Sneak  preview 
of  the  T/S2000! 

and  much  more! 


T/S1000,ZX81  users 
wait  in  vain  for  important  support 

services 

Timex  needs  higher  profile 


WELCOME  to  our  second  issue.  Your  response  to  our 
first  was  overwhelming  and  really  gratifying.  From 
all  of  us  on  this  side  of  Timex  Sinclair  User  to  all  of 
you,  “Thanks". 

Our  contest  editor  is  screaming  for  more  help  to  deal 
with  all  the  great  games  that  are  pouring  in.  In  case  this  is 
your  first  look  at  us,  last  month  we  started  the  first  in  our 
series  of  contests.  It  required  that  you  write  a  41  great*  *  ac¬ 
tion  game,  but  use  only  2K  of  memory.  The  winners  will 
receive  a  contract  to  have  their  programs  published  and 


sold  nationally.  Then  they  can  rake  in  all  those  lovely  royal¬ 
ty  checks.  The  contest  doesn't  officially  close  until  June  10, 
so  if  you  haven’t  entered  yet,  it’s  still  not  too  late.  For 
details  of  our  latest  contest,  flip  to  page  70.  This  one,  we’re 
sure,  will  challenge  your  imagination  and  skill. 

Still  on  the  subject  of  your  input,  the  eight  pages  of  Pro¬ 
gram  Printouts  that  appear  in  every  issue  are  also  supplied 
by  you  the  readers.  For  any  that  we  use,  we  pay  $20.  We 
look  for  interesting  and  different  programs.  Programs  that 
we  feel  will  be  enjoyed  by  the  readers  that  use  them.  You’ll 
see  one  of  the  programs  this  month  is  by  an  eleven-year-old 
and  another  by  a  fifteen-year-old.  And  finally  on  your  let¬ 
ters  to  us>  may  I  remind  you  that  we  like  to  share  your  ideas, 
hints  and  problems.  So  many  readers  asked  about  graphics 
on  the  T/S1000,ZX81,  that  our  Hints  and  Tips  column  this 
month  is  devoted  entirely  to  that  aspect  of  programming. 

Timex  Sinclair  User  was  at  the  West  Coast  Fatre  in  San 
Francisco  (see  the  news  item  on  page  14).  While  it  was  a 
great  fair,  we  were  stunned  by  the  fact  that  Timex  had  ab¬ 
solutely  no  presence  there  at  all:  not  a  hospitality  suite,  not 
a  booth,  not  a  table,  not  even  a  speaker!  It  is  our  opinion 
that  at  a  personal  computer  show  which  attracted  50,000 
spectators  (each  willing  to  pay  $15)  the  company  that  has 
sold  more  personal  computers  than  any  other  in  North 
America  has  a  need  ,  *  .  no,  an  obligation  to  be  there.  An 
obligation  to  support  all  those  who  chose  the  Timex 
Sinclair  computer  as  their  personal  choice.  It  would  not 
have  had  to  be  a  large,  elaborate  affair,  but  it  certainly 


would  have  made  us  feel  better  if  we  could  have  had  an 
identification  point  with  Timex  there. 

It  is  important  that  Timex  provide  owners  with  visible 
support,  if  for  no  other  reason  than  to  show  they  consider 
those  owners  important.  There  is  a  feeling  in  the  market 
place  that  Timex  Sinclair  computers  are  not  serious 
machines;  that  they  are  toys;  that  they  are  not  capable  of  do¬ 
ing  interesting  and  involved  work,  T/S,ZX  owners  know 
this  is  not  true.  Anyone  who  has  used  the  machine  for  a 
while  realizes  this  is  not  true.  It  would  not  only  help  build  a 
better  image  for  the  machine  if  Timex  were  at  personal 
computer  shows,  but  it  would  also  make  those  people  who 
own  one  now  feel  like  they  belong  to  a  personal  computer 
fraternity. 

Any  person  who  buys  a  T/SlOQQ  is  a  potential  purchaser 
of  a  larger  machine.  The  Japanese  have  been  threatening  to 
flood  the  $100,  $200  and  $300  price  ranges  with  a  whole  set 
of  new  machines.  If  we  can  judge  by  how  the  Japanese  have 
entered  markets  in  the  past,  then  we  can  expect  these  new 
imports  to  arrive  with  great  fanfare  and  much  TV  hooplah! 
They  are  sure  to  be  serious  competitors  to  Timex  Sinclair, 
What  better  way  for  Timex  to  insure  its  place  in  the  market 
than  to  maintain  a  high  profile  with  current  owners  and 
keep  potential  owners  thinking  T/S?  User  loyalty  can  only 


CTATIONS 


be  developed  when  users  feel  that  both  individually  and  as 
a  group  they  are  seen  to  be  important  to  Timex. 

it  makes  good  sense  (and  dollars)  for  both  now  and  the 
future  that  Timex  become  involved  through  fairs,  shows 
and  user  groups  with  owners.  Each  owner  is  a  potential  se¬ 
cond  buyer,  either  of  a  Timex  Sinclair  machine  or  another 
make.  Each  owner  is  a  salesperson  for  Timex  Sinclair, 
either  positively  or  negatively.  Each  owner  has  spent 
money  with  Timex  Sinclair  and  deserves  after-sale  support. 

Timex  has  a  good  reputation!  The  T/S  1000  is  a  good 
machine!  We’re  certain  that  the  next  computers  from 
Timex  will  be  equally  as  good,  Timex  Sinclair  User  wants  to 
support  Timex  Sinclair  computers.  So,  come  on  Timex, 
help  us  say  great  things  about  you! 


TIMEX  SINCLAIR  USER  /une  I9fl3 


3 


SYNTAX 


Serving  Timex-Sinclair 
Personal  Computers 


A  PUBLICATION  OF  THE  HARVARD  GROUP 

ISSN  0273*2696 


SYNTAX  is  a  monthly  newsletter  exclusively  for  ZX80/ 
81/TS1000  owners.  We  bring  you  news,  reviews  and  ap¬ 
plications  for  your  computer,  plus  technical  notes  for 
circuit-builders.  SYNTAX  also  provides  a  forum  for 
thousands  of  users  to  share  advice  and  problems  about 
programs  and  vendors.  We  bring  you  timely  updates 
about  new  hardware,  software  and  books.  And  we  cover 
ufl  the  Sinclair- technology  computers,  including  the  new 
TS1000. 

At  SYNTAX  we  emphasize  practicality.  You  can  apply 
our  suggestions  even  if  you  aren't  sure  at  first  why  they 
work,  because  we  give  you  complete  instructions.  Text  is 
clear  and  easy  to  understand.  SYNTAX  readers  already 
know  about: 

•  An  automatic  phone-dialer  they  can  put  together 
in  a  few  hours 

•  Syntactic  Sums™  to  check  input  for  errors 

•  Programs  to  explore  computer  memory 

•  How  to  build  external  additional  RAM 

•  How  to  add  an  8212  I/O  chip  to  control  external 
devices  from  their  computers 

And  SYNTAX  readers  like  what  they  get  every  month. 
Subscribers  know  they  can  depend  on  us. 

After  receiving  on/y  three  issues  of  SYNTAX,  I 
find  that  I  anxiously  await  the  next .  .  .  keep  up 
the  good  work! 

Martin  Irons 
Goshen,  NY 

Congratulations  on  the  brass -tacks,  down-to- 
earth  approach  of  your  newsletter.  Til  be  look¬ 
ing  forward  to  future  issues , 

Otis  Imboden 
Washington,  DC 

Many  readers  get  their  first  issue  and  immediately  order 
the  back  issues— more  proof  that  they  like  what  they  see. 


You  can  see  what's  special  about  our  publication.  We 
work  hard  to  bring  you  a  quality  newsletter.  We  strive  to 
print  useful  programs  of  above-average  accuracy.  As  any 
computer  magazine  editor  can  tell  you,  program  listing  ac¬ 
curacy  is  tough  to  achieve,  but  we  boost  our  average  with 
every  issue.  We  test  each  program  to  make  sure  it  works, 
it  fits  in  the  designated  RAM,  and  it  runs  when  you  follow 
the  directions.  We  print  program  listings  in  screen-image 
format  to  make  it  easier  for  you  (it's  sure  not  easier  for 
us!)  to  enter  program  accurately.  We  invented  Syntactic 
Sum™  as  an  additional  aid  for  you  in  getting  error-free 
programs.  With  your  subscription  you  also  get  access  to 
thousands  of  other  readers,  and  our  staff  experts  are 
available  by  phone  to  answer  your  questions  or  help  you 
solve  problems  with  your  machine. 

SYNTAX  readers  get  every  month: 

•  Latest  news  of  Z80  hardware  and  software 

•  Programs  to  organize  information,  calculate, 
entertain,  or  instruct 

•  Do-it-yourself  additions 

•  Clear  explanations  for  beginners 

To  share  the  benefits  of  SYNTAX,  just  indicate  your 
choices  on  the  order  coupon  and  return  it  with  your 
choice  of  payment  in  U.S.  funds.  (Please  note  that  addi¬ 
tional  postage  is  required  for  delivery  outside  North 
America.) 

We  are  so  sure  you’ll  find  SYNTAX  useful  that  we 
promise  to  refund  your  entire  subscription  fee  if  you  aren’t 
satisfied.  An  unconditional  guarantee— you  can’t  lose. 

Join  the  others  who  stretch  the  ZX/TS  to  the  utmost. 
Act  now— as  soon  as  we  receive  your  coupon  with  pay¬ 
ment  ?  your  first  issue  will  be  on  its  way.  For  faster  service, 
phone  your  credit  card  order  to  617/456-3661.  Don’t 
miss  SYNTAX! 


TSU583 


Fill  out  the  coupon  below  and  mail  it  to:  SYNTAX,  SQ,  RD2  Box  457,  Harvard,  MA  01451 
L  My  check  is  enclosed.  □  Please  charge  my  □  VISA  YES!  Please  send  me: 

□  The  Combination  (12  issues  of  SYNTAX  and  4  issues 


Make  checks  payable  to: 
SYNTAX  ZX80.  Inc, 


Diner's  Club  □  American 
Express  □  Mastercard 
□  Carte  Blanche  account 


Account  number 


of  SQ) .  . . .  $39 

The  Catch-up  (SYNTAX  Jan  82-Dec.  83,  4  issues  of  SQ, 

plus  1  binder  . . .  $77 


Exp.  date  _ Bank  number  (MC  only)  _  Th*  Work*  {SYNTAX  Nov  80-Nov.  83,  4  issues  of  SQ. 


plus  2  binders,  a  50%  savings) .  $97 

Si9nalure  -  □  12  issues  of  SYNTAX .  $29 

Name  _ _  _ ____ _ _ _ _ _  □  4  issues  of  SQ,  The  Syntax  Quarterly .  $15 

Adless  D  1  Premier  ksue  of  SQ . . . $4.95 

□  1  Binder  . $9  □  1  issue  of  SYNTAX  .  $4 

City - - _ - _State  _ _ Zip  _ __ 


Day  phone  (  )  _ — - Evening  phone  (  )  - __  These  offers  expire  31  Jul  83-SUBSCRIBE  NOW 

□  This  is  a  renewal  My  subscription  number  is: _ _ 

□  This  is  a  new  subscription. 


SYNTAX  QUARTERLY 

by  The  Harvard  Group 


Increase  Your 
Computer's  Utility 
With  Our  Help 


You  own  a  powerful  computer,  capable  of  sorting, 
analyzing,  calculating,  displaying  and  manipulating 
data  as  well  as  measuring  and  controlling.  Despite  its 
small  size,  your  computer  will  help  you  learn,  analyze 
your  business,  keep  your  records  or  your  schedule,  dial 
your  phone,  send  messages,  or  talk  to  other  computers. 
To  control  the  power  available  to  you,  you'll  need  hard¬ 
ware  and  software  to  use  with  your  machine.  Although 
you  can  buy  many  of  these  products— and  well  tell  you 
about  them— some  you  must  create  or  modify  for  your¬ 
self.  SQ  will  provide  you  with  the  complete  information 
to  let  you  use  your  programming  or  tinkering  time 
efficiently. 

Our  experts  also  bring  you  SYNTAX,  the  newsletter, 
for  up-to-date,  concise  information*  You  need  news  and 
new  product  announcements  quickly*  And  SYNTAX 
packs  a  lot  of  information  into  its  brief,  time-saving 
format* 

But  we  recognized  your  need  for  material  too  long  to  fit 
in  SYNTAX.  Syntax  Quarterly  fulfills  that  special  need. 
In-depth,  extensive,  detailed  information— that's  what 
SQ's  all  about*  Long  programs,  big  construction  articles, 
and  detailed  directions  help  you  use  your  computer  to  Its 
fullest  while  Learning. 

SQ  gives  you  tested,  accurate  information  that  you  can 
depend  on.  We  test,  we  build,  we  check  everything  that 
goes  into  SQ.  Our  staff  experts  work  for  you;  it's  as 
though  your  full-time  staff  prepared  a  report  for  you 
every  quarter. 

At  SQ,  we  specialize  in  your  machine— Timex-Sinclair 
technology.  Our  programs  and  projects  work,  and, 
because  we  test  each  one  before  we  publish  it,  they  work 
on  your  machine.  All  the  information  in  SQ  can  work  for 
you. 

But,  to  capture  these  benefits — free  software,  free 
plans  for  hardware,  free  instruction— you  must  subscribe. 
Use  the  coupon  to  tell  us  how  to  help  you  best*  Or  call; 
we  understand  people  in  a  hurry.  SQ 


100  LET  R*=* 

£00  LET  B*  =  * 

250  LET  Ct  =  ‘« 

300  print 

4-00  PRINT  BL6$ 

500  PRINT  B*(  TO  7>,B* 

600  PRINT  B$(  TO  ?)#B$ 

700  PRINT  R$ Bt 

800  PRINT  "  TO  J,B* 

900  PRINT  "  TO  >  -  B* 

1000  PRINT  B*,B* 

1100  PRINT  R*,RS 
1200  PRINT  RT  ?,22;C* 

1300  PRINT  RT  9#24jC* 

1400  FOR  1=0  TO  24-8 

1450  IF  X>8B  AND  I < 128  THEN  GOTO 
lt?00 

1500  PRINT  CHRS  I; 

1600  NEXT  I 

1700  PRINT  RT  10 ,0J  **  UE  SPERK  Y 
OUR  LANGUAGE 

SYNTACTIC  SUH:  22174,  SK  ROM 


UE  SPERK  YOUR  LANGUAGE  0123 

45S78GABCDEFGH IJKLNNOPORSTUUUXYZ 
RN  DINKEY!  - - - “ 

_  TQR  ^nnrvF  noi 

SIN  COS  TRN  R5N  RCS  RTN  LN  EXP  . 
INT  SQR  SGN  RBS  PEEK  USR  STR$  CH 
R$  NOT  OR  RND  <  =  >  =  <>  THEN  TO  I 

STEP  LPRINT  LLIST  STOP  SLOU  ERST 
NEU  SCROLL  CONT  DIM  REH  FOR  GOT  I 
O  GOSUB  INPUT  LORD  LIST  LET  PRUsI 
E  NEXT  POKE  PRINT  PLOT  RUN  SAVE 


For  more  in/ormolion*  circle  2  on  Reader  Service  Cord. 


617/456-3661 


617/456-3661 


Letters 


LENDING  AN  EAR 

I  purchased  the  Timex  Sinclair  to 
see  if  a  60-year-old  retired  gent 
could  learn  computer  programm¬ 
ing,  1  do  have  problems  finding 
books  that  do  more  than  teach  one 
to  input  programs  and  play  games. 
I  have  purchased  five  books  on  the 
T/S1000  and  ZX81  and  have  yet  to 
find  an  adequate  explanation  of 
PEEK  and  POKE.  Most  of  the  com¬ 
puter  magazines  cater  to  "far  out” 
programming  . .  .  very  little  is 
published  in  the  form  of  a  course  to 
take  the  beginner  through. 

Thanks  for  listening. 

Fred  Kujawa 

You  are  in  luck,  Fred.Starting  in  our 
premier  issue  '(May  1983),  we  are 
presenting  a  course  in  programming 
written  by  John  Gilbert.  Take  a 
PEEK  at  it,  POKE  around  it,  and 
be/ore  you  know  it,  you’ll  be  using 
those  /unctions  with  the  best  of 
them. 


KEEPING  THE  FAITH 

I  would  like  to  say  that  ifs  about 
time  someone  believed  the  T/S1000 
is  more  than  a  toy  —  I  am  personal¬ 
ly  sold  on  it  After  Tve  made  all  the 
additions  to  it  (keyboard,  64K  RAM 
pack,  printer,  etc.)  I’d  be  willing  to 
bet  the  T/S1000  will  match  any  of 
those  others! 

I  worked  on  an  Apple  in  pro¬ 
gramming  school,  but  bought  the 
T/S1000  because  1  can  bring  it  up  to 
that  level  for  less  dollars.  I  am  real¬ 
ly  happy  with  it. 

I  just  wanted  to  thank  you  for 
having  faith  in  the  Timex  Sinclair 
computers,  because  I  sure  do! 

David  Brehm 

We  agree,  David,  and  so  do  over  a 
million  other  computer  enthusiasts. 
Let  us  know  what  new  ideas  you 
come  up  with  for  your  machine. 


COMPLAINT 

DEPARTMENT 

I  am  an  owner  of  a  T/S100Q  but  it 
doesn't  work.  !  asked  Sinclair  for 
some  information  on  how  to  fix  it 
and  all  I  got  was  a  bunch  of 
nothing. 

Thank  you. 

Roger  Odan 

Roger,  you  are  saying  what  a  great 
number  of  people  have  said  fsee  our 
interview  with  Dan  Ross,  May, 
1933J.  We  have  sent  your  letter  on  to 
Timex.  Let  us  know  what  happens. 

0/0 


Timex  Sinclair  User  welcomes 
reader's  comments,  compliments, 
queries  and  complaints.  Letters 
should  be  addressed  to:  The  Editor, 
Timex  Sinclair  User,  49  La  Salle 
Avenue,  Buffalo,  N.Y.  14214.  Please 
include  your  full  name  and  address 
when  writing. 


MI 


VATION  "WHERE  ideas  come  to  life’ 


16529  LAKESHORE  ROAD  C  L  E  VE  L  A  N  D,  Wl  SCO  N  SI  N  53015  PH.  (414)  693  -  806  2 

EXCLUSIVE  TACTILE  KEYBOARD  OVERLAY 


•  RAISED  DEPRESSABLE  KEY  AREAS  -  FEEL  MOVEMENT  $9.95 
•STANDARD  TYPEWRITTER  KEY  SIZE 

•EASY  CUSTOMER  ATTACHMENT  -  OVERLAYS  PRESENT  KEYBOARD 
OF  THE  TIMEX  1000  AND  SINCLAIR  ZX-81  HOME  COMPUTERS 

CONSULT  YOUR  LOCAL  RETAIL  STORE 

For  further  information  or  mailorder  via  M.C.  or  Visa  direct  inquiry  to  InnovationCo.Dept .  U 

6  For  more  in/ormatjon,  cirde  3  on  Header  Service  Card.  TIMEX  SINCLAIR  USER  June  1963 


This  month  we  review  space  and  adventure  games 
and  an  assembler  that  lets  you  program  in  machine  language 


Push-button 


Wars 


Shoot  Your 
Way  T^H| 
Safety 

Description:  Combat 
Flight  casts  you  as  the  com 
mander  of  a  fighter  ship, 
flying  through  moun¬ 
tainous  terrain  shooting  at 
alien  ships.  Seven  types  of 
alien  ships  fly  by.  Points 
scored  depend  on  the 
of  alien  you  hit  wit* 
lasers.  A  player 
lives  per  game. 

After  the  game,  the  top 
five  scores  are  displayed 
with  the  name  of  the  player. 
If  you  score  in  the  top  five 
you  add  your  name  to  the 
list. 

Evaluation:  This  is 
good  action  game.  The 
speed  of  lasers  is  fast  and 
the  response  time  of  the 
controls  ' 


■  -  ;  • 


.. 


alien 


Fhgnt 
mountain 

must 


good 

graphics  and  fast  action. 
This  games  pack  is  a  good 
buy  for  those  limited  to  2K 
of  memory.  (Circle  41*  on 
1  '  e 


language  to  scroll  stats 
right  to  left  across  the1 
screen.  The  playeT  scores 
points  by  moving  a  base  in 
front  of  the  stars. 

Evaluation:  The  major 
problem  with  Starblaster  is 
the  instructions.  The  infor¬ 
mation  with  the  games 
gives  the  wrong  controls  for 
movement.  Also,  the  in¬ 
structions  do  not  dearly  tell 
the  player  how  to  score 
points. 

The  other  five  games  of 
this  package  are  all  of  a 


Description;  in  Galactic 
Invaders,  sevdn  alien  crafts 

fly  randomly  around  the 
screen,  and  fire  at  your 
laser  base.  The  base  can 
withstand  seven  hits  before 
it  is  destroyed.  After  all 
seven  crafts  are  destroyed, 
seven  more  appear  and 
move  at  a  higher  speed  *  The 
player  scores  one  point  for 
each  craft  shot  down. 

Evaluation:  Although  this 
may  sound  like  a  standard 


g  too  high 
Hihtp  aliejj'fe 
longing 
ships 

ght  is  a  good 
similar 

son  the 


Us 

Jpeed  makes  ,  ihia  >a  gwd 
game.  The  player  is  given 
an  initial  choice  of  speeds 
from  1  to  100,  When  i 
played;  speed  fj|  was  too 
^  slow  and  lOpwas  toa  fast. 
At  speed  50,.  I  destroyed  53 
enemy  crafts. 

■  One  annoying  feature  of 
/•  this  game  is  that  the  alien 
crafts  often  land  on  the 
'.  ground  for  long  periods  of 
tirne.  When  this  happened, 
J  felt  obliged  ..to  ram  the 
craft  with  my  laser  base. 
Galactic  Invader  works 
in  16K  and  is  distributed  by 
Sams.  It  is  a  simple,  fast  ac¬ 
tion  game  that  can  be  en¬ 
joyed  by  all  ages.  Definitely 
a  must  for  the  video  game 
connoisseur.  (Circle  42  on 
reader  service  card,) 

Rating:  8 


market.  I  found  the  game  a 
little  too  repetitive  in  its  ac¬ 
tion  and  would  not  want  to 
play  it  often.  Distributor: 
Melbourne  House  Ltd, 
Memory:  16K. 

Rating:  7, 

4444444 

Fast  Action 

In  2K 

^Inscription:  In  TS 
Destroyer,  you  fly  in  the 

center  of  the  screen,  and  ob- 
jets  fly  toward  ypu  from  the 
left;  you  must  dodge  or 
shoot  them.  At  the  same 
time,  another  spaceship  is 
flyjng  up  and  down  to  your 
k  right,  taking  shots  at  you. 

fn  Space  Raid,  you  con¬ 
trol  a  gun  that  moves 
horizontally  across  the  bot¬ 
tom  of  the  screen.  When  a 
spaceship  appears  at  the 
top  of  the  screen  with  an 
alien  inside,  you  must  shoot 
<a  '  hole  through  the 
spaceship  and  hit  the  alien 
in  the  left  foot  before  a  laser 
beam  from  the  ship  hits 
you. 

Evaluation:  I  was  very 
surprised  by  the  high  quali¬ 
fy  of  these  two  games.  Pro¬ 
grammed  in  machine 
language,  they  have  the 
speed  and  excitement 
found  in  larger  16K  games. 

The  speed  of  movement 
in  TS  Destroyer  is  very  im¬ 
pressive.  Playing  this  game, 

I  was  so  busy  trying  to 
dodge  objects  from  the  left 
that  I  failed  to  see  the  ship 
at  the  right  shoot  me  in  the 
back. 

The  Space  Raid  game  is 
very  similar  to  invasion 
Force.  The  computer 
graphic  of  the  alien  stan¬ 
ding  in  the  spaceship  is  well 


TIMEX  SINCLAIR  USER  June  1983 


7 


NOW  ATS1000/ZX81 


PUSH-BUTTON 


KEYBOARD 


FOR  UNDER  $20.00 


At  last  there’s  a  really  cheap  but 
efficient  way  of  ironing  out  theTS1000/ZX81’s 
only  real  bug:  its  keyboard.  The  Filesixty 
Buttonset  offers 

■  A  full -travel  calculator- type  moving 
keyboard  for  only  $19.50. 

■  Installed  in  seconds.  The  peel  off 
adhesive  backing  means  you  just  register  into 
position  and  press. 

■  No  messy  labels,  dismantling  or 
soldering. 

■  3  groups  of  colour  keys  to  pick  out 
shift,  numerals  and  newline. 

■  Precision  moulded  in  ABS  to  match 
your  TS1000/ZX81,  with  contrasting  legends 
for  maximum  legibility. 

Orders  to  Filesixty  Ltd.,  25  Chippenham  Mews,  London  W9  2AN, 
England  .Tel:  01-289  3059.  Telex:  268  048  EXTLDN  G  4087. 


I _ / 

fonoQ  • 

1.  Make  sure  the  original  key  boar  d  is  clean 
and  check  that  all  the  keys  function. 


2  The  Buttonset  is  held  in  place 
by  sett  adhesive  pads. 


3.  So  all  you  do  is  remove  the 
protective  backing. 


Ion □□□□□□□□ 
r  r :  □  □  TT::  □  nTT 

□  □  □□  i □  □  □  □ 


4  And  place  it  centrally  on  your  IS  1000  ZX81 


Cheques/money  orders  made  payable  to  Filesixty  Ltd  “I 

Please  send  me  _ _ _ (qty.)  Buttonset(s)  j 

I  at  $19.50  each  (inclusive  of  postage  &  packaging). 

Total  $ _ BLOCK  CAPITALS  ' 


Address 


|  OLCHC  _ _ _ _ _ _ _  C| 

|_zn _ FILESjXI_Yj 


For  more  Information,  circle  3  on  Reader  Service  Card* 


done.  The  descending  laser 
beam  from  the  ship  is 
challenging  to  avoid. 

Neither  of  these  games 
prints  a  score*  Usually  I  like 
to  see  a  score  after  I’ve  been 
shot,  hut  in  these  games,  it 
didn’t  matter.  For  2K  game 
players,  this  tape  is  a  must. 
The  distributor  is  Softsync, 
(Circle  43  on  reader  service 
card*) 

Rating:  9 

******* 

A-maze-ing 
3-D  overview 

Description:  Labyrinth 
is  a  game  sold  by  Mindware 
that  creates  a  maze  which 
the  player  must  go  through* 
At  the  start  of  the  game,  the 
player  must  choose  the 
width  and  height  of  the 
maze.  Before  entering  the 
maze,  the  player  is  given 
the  option  of  seeing  it  first 
This  gives  the  player  plenty 
of  time  to  plan  a  route 
through  the  maze. 

The  player  is  shown  an 
image  representing  his  view 
of  the  maze  showing  door¬ 
ways  and  corridors  in  three 
dimensions.  Movement 
through  the  maze  is  done  by 
four  direction  keys.  At  any 
point  the  player  can  give 
up  and  see  a  full  view  of  the 
maze.  The  computer  will 
show  the  path  that  was 
taken  by  the  player 

Evaluation:  Labyrinth  is 
an  interesting  game 
because  the  player  sees 
such  a  small  portion  of  the 
maze.  The  three- 
dimensional  graphics 
showing  the  passageways 
are  adequately  handled 
with  the  T/S1OO0,ZX81 
graphics*  The  game  is  quite 
difficult  the  first  couple  of 
times.  With  practice, 
however,  the  passageways 
are  easier  to  recognize  and 
movement  through  the 
maze  is  much  simpler.  This 
is  an  interesting  game  but 
not  a  classic!  (Circle  44  on 
reader  service  card)* 

Rating:  7, 


More  Missile 
Madness 

Description:  A  missile 
launcher  moves  up  and 
down  on  the  left  side  of  the 
screen  in  the  program  call¬ 
ed  Missile  Launcher*  You 
fire  missiles  at  ammunition 
dumps  on  the  right  side  of 


the  screen.  The  player  gets 
25  shots  and  scores  points 
for  hitting  the  ammunition. 
Bonus  points  are  scored  for 
destroying  an  entire  am¬ 
munition  dump. 

Evaluation:  Shooting  at 
targets  is  a  popular  concept 
in  games  but,  to  be  most  ef¬ 
fective,  any  such  game  re¬ 
quires  an  opposition  that 


Assembler  offers 


Description:  Machine 
language  programming  is 
very  slow  and  tedious 
without  using  an  assembler 
program.  International 
Publishing  and  Software 
sells  ZX  Assembler,  a  pro¬ 
gram  that  allows  you  to 
enter  and  edit  machine 
language  using  mnemonics. 

ZX  Assembler  occupies 
7K  and  is  located  at  the  top 
of  memory.  It  stores  the 
machine  language  in  a 
REM  statement  at  the  start 
of  the  Basic  program  and 
the  assembly  language  in  a 
second  REM  statement.  An 
easy-to-follow  26-page 
manual  comes  with  the  pro¬ 
gram,  describing  its  use  in 
detail. 

Editing  functions  allow 
you  to  insert  and  delete 
characters  and  lines. 
Numbers  can  be  entered  in 
decimal  or  hexadecimal. 
Mnemonics  can  be  entered 
very  quickly  because  the  in¬ 
put  response  time  is  fast. 

The  program  also  con¬ 
tains  a  monitor  which  has 
many  useful  functions. 
From  the  monitor,  one  can 
run  a  machine  code  routine 
for  testing,  inspect  and 
modify  registers,  search  for 
numbers,  and  display  the 
HEX  contents  of  memory. 


Evaluation:  Its  high 
speed  makes  machine 
language  very  attractive  to 
serious  programmers.  Ex¬ 
ecution  speed  of  instruc¬ 
tions  is  far  superior  to  Basic 
instructions.  Programming 
in  machine  language  is 
much  more  difficult  than 
Basic  but  programs  such  as 
ZX  Assembler  offer  the  pro¬ 
grammer  valuable  aid. 

Without  an  assembler, 
programmers  must  POKE 
into  memory  the  decimal 
code  for  each  instruction. 
Editing  in  this  manner 
becomes  very  difficult.  ZX 
Assembler  contains  all  the 
functions  necessary  for 
easy  machine  language 
programming. 

The  major  drawback 
with  ZX  Assembler  is  its 
location  in  memory.  It  uses 
7K  of  memory,  limiting  the 
size  of  the  basic  program. 
Because  it  is  not 
relocatable,  its  position 
limits  programmers  with 
greater  memory  to  16K. 

ZX  Assembler  is  a  very 
useful  tool  for  beginners  or 
professionals.  A  beginner 
with  a  good  book  on  Z80 
machine  language  will  find 
this  program  easy  to  use. 
(Circle  45  on  reader  service 
card.)  Rating:  8 


TIMEX  SINCLAIR  USER  June  1903 


shoots  back.  Missile  Laun¬ 
cher,  programmed  entirely 
in  Basic,  is  too  simple  and 
slow. 

The  player  controls  only 
the  firing  of  missiles.  This 
requires  the  player  to  judge 
when  the  row  of  the  missile 
launcher  equals  the  row  of 
an  ammunition  dump.  This 
16K  game,  distributed  by 
Intercomputer,  did  not  hold 
the  interest  of  this  reviewer 
for  very  long,  so  I  played  it 
only  a  couple  of  times.  (Cir¬ 
cle  46  on  reader  service 
card.) 

Rating:  5 

******* 

Defend  your 
planet 

Description:  You  are  in 
charge  of  a  missile  launcher 
and  must  save  Earth  from 
invading  spaceships.  With 
15  rockets,  you  must  choose 
a  velocity  to  shoot  down  the 
invaders.  The  direction  of 
each  rocket  is  determined 
by  the  velocity  you  choose 
for  it. 

If  that  sounds  like  an  ex¬ 
citing  game,  then  you 
would  probably  like  Galac¬ 
tic  Invasion,  sold  by  Inter¬ 
national  Computers  Ltd, 
This  is  one  in  a  set  of  six 
16K  programs  on  one  tape. 
Also  on  the  tape  are  three 
action  games,  a  solitaire 
game  and  a  drawing  pro¬ 
gram. 

Evaluation:  This  form  of 
Galactic  Invasion  is  very 
simple  in  graphics  and 
design.  The  alien  invaders 
are  represented  by  35  plot¬ 
ted  points,  and  a  message  at 
the  top  tells  you  how  many 
spaceships  are  left.  This 
game  may  be  adequate  for 
children  but  most  adults 
will  find  it  slow. 

The  five  programs  with 
Galactic  Invasion  are  also 
slow  and  simple.  This  tape 
is  not  recommended  to 
those  who  like  action.  (Cir¬ 
cle  47  on  reader  service 
card.) 

Rating:  5  0/0 


9 


NOW  YOU  CAN  HAVE 
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ZXBVTSIOOa  Not  only  Battle; 

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ZX  Computing  said  "Tl 
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THE  COMPLETE  TIME] 

ZX81  ROM  Oisassembl 

D  r.  Logan  a  n  d  Dr.  F  ran  lc  O'  Haro 
all  routines  in  the  ROM  ond  comment  on  _  _  _ 

This  book  is  a  must  for  the  experienced  programmer 
L  Qrdinateur  Individual  (the  leading  French  personal 
computing  magazine)  said-  'Dr.  Ian  lagan  has 
disassembled  the  8K  monitor  program  at  the  2X81  / 
TS1000-  For  those  who  want  to  write  programs  in 
machine  language,  it  Is  PART  A  which  is  the  more 
interesting,  because  it  contains  the  majority  of  BASIC 
commands,  while  Part  B  is  far  more  technical, 
comprising  essentially  of  the  ZX81  /TSJQQtfs  {looting 
point  calculator,  In  conjunction  with  Understanding 
Tour  ZX8J  ROM  this  book  allows  anyone  well 


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UNDERSTANDING  YOUR  ZX81  ROM 

by  Dr,  Ion  Logan 

SYNC  Magazine  soid:  "SYNC  readers  will  recognize 
Dr.  Logan  as  o  major  ZX80/81  expert  whose  writings 
are  well  worth  wile.  Understanding  Your  ZX81  ROM  is 
no  exception.  The  book  falls  logically  into  five  parts: 
o  brief  review  of  the  ZBQCPU,  next  o  quick  intro¬ 
duction  to  the  internal  arithmetic  and  number  base 
manipulations;  a  discussion  of  the  Z80  machine  code 
instructions  grouped  by  function;  a  detailed  exam¬ 
ination  of  the  relevant  parts  of  the  BK  ROM;  Dr  Logan 
introduces  machine  code  programming  by  treating  it 
os  an  extension  to  Basic;  and  complete  listings  of  the 
more  important  8K  ROM  routines  are  given  os  well  as 
the  usual  tables  of  machine  code  language 
instructions,  decimal- hexadecimal  conversions,  and 
keycodes.  Understanding  Your  ZXBl  ROM  should  be 
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MACHINE  LANGUAGE  PROGRAMMING 
MADE  SIMPLE 

Michael  Roberts,  SYNTAX  Magazine  wrote: 

"I  wanted  to  review  this  book  because  I'm  the  person 
it  was  written  for.  I  taught  myself  BASIC  ond  can 
now  do  most  of  the  things  I  want  to  with  it.  I  felt  that 
Machine  Language  would  be  o  good  addition  to 
speed  up  some  programs  and  improve  display.  The 
idea  of  Machine  Language  "mode  simple'  appealed 
to  me.  It's  the  best  exploration  of  Machine  Language 
for  Machine  Language  beginners  I've  seen, 


Orders  to:  M  tLBUUKNI  HOUSE  SOFTWARE  INC. 

Dept.  CS  347  Reed  wood  Drive,  Nashville,  tn  37217 


TAPES: 

□  13941  Gamestape  1:11  Programs -IK 

□  13942  Gamestape  2: 3  Games- 16K 

□  13943  Gamestape  3  Catacombs 

Adventure -16k 


1 3944  Games  tape  4: 3D  Monster  Maze  -161 

1 3945  Camestape  5: 3D  Qrblter-  16K 
r  26446  Space trek- 16K 

L  26359  Super  Invasion -IK 
26318  Wall  Bus terS-IK 
26472  10  Exciting  Programs  -IK 
I  26284  Reversi-IK 
C  26406  TOOlbOX -IK 

26490  Basic  Course  2  cassette  pack 
c  14026  combat  Flight -16K 


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Visa  and  M/C  orders 

can  be  phoned  tn:  615/361-3738 


Dealer  orders  and  queries:  800/251-5900 
(ask  for  a  Melbourne  House  operator! 


BOOKS; 

25895  The  Co  m  pie  te  B  a  sic  Course 
25957  Machine  Language  Programming 
Made  Simple 

20922  The  Complete  Timex/Stndatr 
ROM  Disassembly 
26025  Not  only  30  Programs 
2 591 3  Understa  ndl  ng  You  r  2  XB1  ROM 
□  51539  ins  and  Outs  of  the  Timex 
TSIOOO 


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Basic 


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c  1902.  THE  COMPUTER  ENTREPRENEUR 


Circle  7  on  Inquiry  Card 


In  search  of  a  golden  memory 


THE  MOST  important 
hardware  device  you  can 
add  to  your  computer  is  a 
memory  unit.  In  this  article 
we  analyse  three  memory 
units  for  design,  flexibility, 
durability  and  cost:  the 
Memopak  16K,  the  Sinclair 
!6K  RAM  and  the  Panda 
10K. 

These  connect  to  the 
T/ SI 000  via  the  expansion 
port  at  the  rear  of  the  com¬ 
puter.  The  design  of  the 
unit  is  very  important 
because  it  must  fit  tightly  to 
the  computer*  If  the  fit  is 
loose,  programs  may  be  lost 
easily  by  any  movement* 
This  can  be  very  annoying 
when  you  are  trying  to 
change  the  tape  recorder 
leads  to  save  a  program.  We 
have  lost  many  programs 
this  way* 

From  the  pictures,  you 
can  see  that  the  Memopak 
unit  stretches  right  across 
the  length  of  the  computer* 
The  unit  comes  with  velcro 
tabs  to  help  make  the  con* 
nection  firmer*  We  have 
also  used  tape  and  elastic 
bands  for  the  same  purpose* 

The  Sinclair  RAM  is  a 
smaller  unit*  It  does  not  fit 
to  the  back  of  the  computer 
as  well  as  the  Memopak. 
We  have  had  great  difficul¬ 
ty  inventing  ways  to  pre¬ 
vent  this  unit  from  wob¬ 
bling* 

The  Panda  RAM  is  built 
similarly  to  the  Sinclair 
RAM  but  its  fit  on  the  ex* 
pension  bus  is  much 
tighter*  We  used  this  unit 
extensively  for  two  weeks 
and  found  no  problem  with 
its  design. 

For  design,  we  feel  the 
best  unit  is  the  Memopak* 
Its  structure  is  best  suited 


Reviewer  Bob  Fraser  tests 
three  16K  units  and  finds 
each  falls  short  of  perfection 


0 


When  the 
lights  go 
out  . .  . 

THE  Cramic*01  is  a  low- 
power,  battery*backup 
RAM,  It  uses  up-to-date 
technology  such  as  lithium 
batteries  to  maintain  your 
RAM's  contents  even  when 
the  power  is  disconnected. 
It  is  ideal  for  keeping  large, 
often  used  programs, 
machine  code  routines  or 


programs  you  are  working 
on  without  the  bother  of 
having  to  load  them  from 
cassette  each  time.  This 
unit  can  be  used  in  c on j unc¬ 
tion  with  another  RAM 
pack  and  either  one  can  be 
selected  for  use  by  a  switch 
on  the  C  ramie-81.  If  you 
happen  to  wander  off  For 
ten  years  and  then  return  to 
your  machine,  chances  are 
the  Cramic-81  will  still  be 
working  and  remember 
where  you  left  off. 

For  more  information, 
circle  reader  service 
number  51 . 


for  the 
T/S100Q*  We 
tike  its  appearance  best, 
although  the  polar  bear  on 
the  Panda  is  a  nice  touch* 
The  second  category  we 
have  defined  is  flexibility.  A 
memory  unit  must  allow  ex¬ 
ternal  devices  such  as 
printers  easy  access  to  the 
expansion  bus.  All  three 
memory  units  allow  this  but 
the  Memopak  has  a  slight 
advantage  because  it  also 
has  an  edge  connector 
behind  it,  allowing  a  printer 
to  be  attached  in  front  or 


behind  it. 

The  third  category 
rating  memory  units  is 
durability.  How  long  will  it 
work?  We  have  used  many 
Sinclair  and  Memopak 
memory  units  and  can  rate 
them  fairly.  The  Panda  has 
been  only  tested  for  a  two 
week  period,  so  its  durabili¬ 
ty  is  still  questionable* 

When  we  first  began  us¬ 
ing  Sinclair  computers,  we 


used  the  •- — * *•*' 

Sinclair  RAM. 

After  much  use,  they  began 
getting  warm  easily  and  fre¬ 
quently  lost  programs.  We 
tried  many  types  of  memory 
units,  finding  most  of  them 
to  be  unreliable,  until  we 
found  the  Memopak. 

The  Memopak  lasts 
much  longer  than  the 
Sinclair  RAM*  For  people 
with  larger  memory  needs, 
Memotech  also  sells  32K 
and  64K  Memopaks*  They 
are  of  equal  quality. 

The  table  shows  our 
rating  of  the  memory  units 
discussed  here.  We  have 
not  rated  the  Panda  for 
durability  after  only  two 
weeks  of  testing,  but  we  will 
say  it  hasn't  yet  caused  a 
single  problem.  (Stonechip 
Electronics,  a  British  firm, 
is  currently  looking  for  an 
American  distributor  for 
ZX- Panda,  which  sells  for 
about  £20  in  Britain.) 

e/e 


12 


1 


TIMEX  SINCLAIR  USER 


YTE-BACK  modules 


64-K  MEMORY  $129.3,? 


BYTE-BACK’S  MD-1 

MODEM  $119.*! 

ASSEMBLED  &  TESTED  $149.95 


Use  your  phone  to  connect  your  "LITTLE"  computer  to  the 
"LARGEST"  computer  networks  in  the  world.  With  BYTE- 
BACK's  MD-1  MODEM  connected  ell  you  do  is  dial  a  phone 
number  (usually  local),  press  a  few  keys  and  watch  the  data 
appear  on  your  TV  screen.  (Software  is  included)  This 


"originate"  or  "answer" 


MODEM  can  be  used  in  either  the 
mode  with  selectable  baud  rate. 

You  can  have  immediate  access  to: 
UNIVERSITY  COMPUTERS,  DOW  JONES,  UPI 
COMPUSERVE  PACKAGE  WITH  5  FREE  HOURS  ONLY  $34.95 

As  an  extra  bonus  an  f?S-232  port  Is  provided  to  allow  you  to 
drive  all  standard  RS-232  peripherals,  (73  to  9600  Baud.) 


BYTE-BACK’S  BB-1 

CONTROL  MODULE 

$59.8ft  In  Stock! 

ASSEMBLED  &  TESTED  $69.00 

•  8  Independent  Relays 

(with  LED  status  indicators) 

•  8  Independent  TTL  Inputs 

(with  Schmitt  trigger  buffers) 


*  By  using  a  single  POKE  command  you 
can  change  and  latch  the  status  of  each  of 
the  8  relays. 

*  Your  computer  can  read  the  status  of  all  8 
inputs  by  the  use  of  a  single  PEEK 
command. 

*  A  comprehensive  manual  is  included  that 
has  complete  application  details, 

*  More  than  one  BB-1  can  he  used  at  a  time. 


$139.9S  ASSEMBLED  &  TESTED 

In  Stock ! 

With 

BATTERY  BACKUP 

the  “ULTIMATE  MEMORY”  UM-64 

FEATURES: 

•  Battery  backup 

•  PROM/ROM  socket 

•  Reset  Switch. 

•  BYTE-BACK  EXLCLUSIVE  FULL  64-K 

The  0-8K  area  is  available.  You  can  execute  a  copy 
routine  (provided)  to  copy  the  TIM  EX  ROM  into  the 
0-8K  area  of  RAM  then  flip  a  switch  and  you  have 
your  operating  system  in  RAM.  You  can  modify  it 
and  create  your  own  customized  operating 
system.  Full  details,  examples  &  programs  included. 

WHY  PAY  MORE  FOR  LESS  FEATURES? 
GET  THE  “ULTIMATE  MEMORY” 
BYTE  BACK  S  UM-64 


16K  MEMORY  UM-16  $59  .  ®  *  $6  9,”  a  sse  m  b  I  ed  &  I  es  ted 


Battery  backup,  reset  switch,  PROM/ROM 
socket  PLUS.  ...  1  year,  100%  trade-in  credit 
towards  the  UM-64. 


RS-232  Module  $5S.95 


ASSEMBLED  &  TESTED  $69.95 


Allows  you  to  connect  your  computer  to  all  RS-232  printers  &  terminals 

ALL  MODULES  CARRY  90-DAY  WARRANTY 

TRY  BYTE-BACK  MODULES  FOR  10  DAYS  WITH  NO  OBLIGATION 


ll 


BYTE  BACK 

KEYBOARD 

$89.95 

We  use  the  same 
key  switch  found  in 
the  expensive  com¬ 
puters  such  as; 
Hewlett  Packard, 
Texas  Instru¬ 
ments,  Atari,  D.E.C  etc.  The  multi-colored  key  caps  are  the  same  type 
used  on  the  IBM  Personal  Computer,  but  with  the  TIMEX  (edgens. 

EXPERIENCE  QUALITY 


Shipping  and  Handling  S4.95 
ORDER  PHONE  (803)  532-5812 


ITEMS  ORDERED: 


■I 

i 

r  >  r.  i- ■ 
J  i 


Bill  My  □  Am.  Exp. 


Exp.  Date 

Name  _ 

Address  „ 


□  Visa  □  M/C 
Checks  Accepted 


Card  No. 


City/State/Zip 
Phone  _ 


Dealer  Discounts  Available 

Mail  To:  BYTE-BACK  CO. 

Rt.  3,  Box  147,  Brodie  Road 
Leesville,  S.C.  29070 


For  more  information,  circle  6  on  Header  Service  Card. 


M 


Clive 
sells  1.6 
computers .  .  . 


.  .  .  and  snags 
award 


Sinclair  Research  has 
claimed  to  be  the  first  com¬ 
pany  to  sell  more  than  one 
million  home  computers. 

Since  it  began  selling  the 
2X80  three  years  ago  it  has 
sold  130,000  ZX8Gs,  750,000 
ZX81s  and  200,000  Spec- 
trums,  an  upgraded  version 
of  which  is  to  appear  soon 
in  North  America  as  the 
rr/S2000.  And  these  figures 

CLfVE  SINCLAIR:  neither 
young  nor  □  businessman 


No  Faire  for  Timex 


Fifty  thousand  people 
agreed  that  the  8th  West 
Coast  Computer  Faire,  held 
in  San  Francisco  From 
March  18  to  March  20,  was 
fantastic.  It  boasted  500  dif¬ 
ferent  exhibitors  ranging 
from  the  small  single-booth 
entrepreneur  selling  tapes 
and  books  to  the  “big  guns11 
like  Apple,  Commodore 
and  I.B.M.  No,  we  didn't 
forget  to  mention  Timex, 
they  just  didn't  bother 
showing  up.  We  don't  know 
why  they  weren't  there,  but 
a  lot  of  Timex  Sinclair 
owners  were  awfully  disap¬ 
pointed  with  Timex's  ap¬ 
parent  lack  of  interest  and 
support. 

On  a  brighter  note,  Jim 
Warren,  known  as  the  Faire 
Chair,  was  delighted  with 
the  great  turnout.  You 
would  be  too,  I'm  sure,  with 
50,000  in  attendance  at  $15 
a  head,  which,  to  be  fair* 
did  let  you  in  for  all  three 
days. 

For  those  looking  to 
learn,  there  were  seminars, 
lectures,  workshops  and  in¬ 
terest  groups.  The  business 
person  could  shell  out  an 


extra  $125  to  hear  Arnold 
Roberts  talk  for  five  hours 
on  “How  to  Select  a 
Business  Computer.1' 
Others,  for  free,  listened  to, 
worked  at,  and  struggled 
through  such  sessions  as 
“Venture  Financing  for 
New  High  Tech  Com¬ 
panies",  “LOGO  &  Kids", 
“Word  Processing",  and 
“The  Esoterics  of  Computer 
Games."  For  those  yearning 
for  fun,  there  were  video 
games  in  abundance  . . , 
and  all  free. 

Next  year  they'll  do  it  all 
over  again.  Same  place, 
same  time,  but  hopefully 
better  weather.  The  9th 
West  Coast  Computer 
Faire,  which  takes  place 
March  23  to  25,  1984,  is  still 
looking  for  speakers.  If  you 
have  a  talk  you  know  people 
are  waiting  to  hear,  call  or 
write: 

Computer  Faire 
345  Swett  Road 
Woodside  CA  94062 
(415)  851-7077 
The  deadline  is 
November  30th,  1983.  We'll 
see  you  at  the  Faire! 

—  Joseph  Gladstone 


do  not  include  the  600,000 
T/SlOOOs  sold  since  it  was 
launched  in  July  last  year. 
The  claim  to  be  the  first 
past  the  million  mark  is 
disputed  by  Commodore, 
which  claimed  it  had  reach¬ 
ed  that  point  Last  year. 

Clive  Sinclair,  chief  ex¬ 
ecutive  and  chairman,  said 
he  is  very  pleased  with  the 
figures.  “They  are  a 
magnificent  achievement 
for  all  concerned.  With  the 
2X81  entering  its  third  year 
of  production  the  figures 
demonstrate  beyond  doubt 
the  long-term  viability  of 
the  computer  as  a  long-term 
consumer  product  ” 

More  than  200,000 
Sinclair  or  Sinclair-based 
computers  are  now  sold 
every  month  throughout  the 
world. 


The  British  newspaper 
The  Guardian  has  named 
Clive  Sinclair  as  the  Young 
Businessman  of  the  Year. 
The  award  is  made  annual¬ 
ly  to  people  in  Britain  who 
have  shown  particular  abili¬ 
ty  in  business. 

Past  winners  have  in¬ 
cluded  Sir  Michael  Ed¬ 
wards,  the  man  responsible 
for  improving  the  ailing  for¬ 
tunes  of  Britain's  state- 
owned  carmaker  BL, 

The  award  has  caused 
some  amusement  as  Clive 
claims  to  be  neither  young 
nor  a  businessman.  At  42, 
he  is  more  than  twice  the 
age  of  many  of  the  young 
entrepreneurs  now  reputed 
to  be  making  vast  sums 
from  the  rapid  growth  of 
the  home  computing 
market  in  Britain. 

•  See  our  pro/ile  of  Clive 
Sinclair  beginning  on  page 
62. 


U.K.  Hoax  Exposed 


Last  April,  the  British 
counterpart  to  this 
magazine,  Sinclair  User,  ran 
a  program  entitled 
“Machine  Code  Converter" 


^4% 


14 


that  was  amazingly 
economical  —  only  27  lines 
long.  “Now  a  brilliant  piece 
of  programming  enables  the 
Basic  programmer  to  con¬ 
vert  his  listing  automatical¬ 
ly  into  machine  code  by 
LOADing  from  a  tape  or  by 
entering  the  program  line 
by  line  from  the  keyboard,'1 
claimed  the  instructions 
alongside  the  program.  But 
readers  discovered  dif¬ 
ferently  when  they  tried  if 
and  found  an  unexpected 
message  printed  on  their 
screens:  APRIL  FOOLS! 

“We  got  great  feedback 
on  this,’’  says  Editor  Nigel 
Clark.  “Most  of  our  readers 
just  loved  it.  But  one  man 
was  so  disgusted  he  cancell¬ 
ed  his  subscription." 

Oh  well,  seems  some  peo¬ 
ple  can't  take  a  joke,  0/S 

TIMEX  SINCLAIR  USER 


SPECIAL 
OFFER 

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The  Great  Connecticut 
Kit-Building  Experiment 


“The  children  worked 
with  an  intensity  and 
excitement  I  have 
rarely  seen  in  my  years 
of  teaching” 


TIMEX  SINCLAIR  USER  June  1983 


For  New  Haven  teacher 
Chris  Baldwin  and  28  kids 
who  enrolled  in  his  10-week 
ZX81  workshop,  it  was  a 
resounding  success 

IT  USED  TO  BE  THOUGHT,  and 
still  is  in  some  school  systems, 
that  programming  instruction 
and  hands-on  computer  time 
belong  in  the  high  schools.  It  is  now 
finding  its  way  into  the  grade 
schools,  more  often  as  a  result  of 
student  and  parent  pressures  than 
of  the  vision  of  school  boards.  I’ve 
seen  typical  nine  and  ten-year-olds 
program  in  BASIC,  and  six  and 
seven-year-olds  in  Logo.  Kids  with 
this  learning  opportunity  have  a 
tremendous,  perhaps  decisive,  ad¬ 
vantage  —  but  only  a  few  have  this 
opportunity!  Until  schools 
recognize  their  responsibility  and 


provide  every  child  with  daily  ac¬ 
cess  to  a  computer,  this  sad  waste 
will  continue. 

That’s  a  strong  statement,  but  the 
more  I  work  with  children  and 
computers,  the  more  I  see  what  the 
experience  can  mean  to  a  child’s 
self-image.  I  know  a  child  has  made 
an  important  breakthrough  in  how 
she  sees  herself  and  her  world 

“The  more  I  work  with 
children  and 
computers,  the  more  I 
see  what  the 
experience  can  mean  to 
a  child’s  self-image” 

when  she  stops  asking  4How  do  I  do 
X?’  and  begins  saying,  ‘I  wonder  if 
this  will  do  X?'  She  returns  to  a 
natural  approach  of  playfulness 
and  discovery  about  her  world  in  a 
school  setting  in  which  many 
pressures  work  to  dull  that  ap¬ 
proach. 

One  point  I  continue  to  make  to 
policy-makers  {with  limited  success 
to  date)  is  to  ask  them  to  carefully 
consider  which  expenditure  of 
$2,200  best  serves  a  school's  needs: 
one  Apple  II  with  a  monitor, 
printer  and  disk  drive,  or  eight 
T/SlOOOs,  televisions,  cassette 
recorders,  printers  and  16K 
memories?  Through  my  work  with 
kids  and  computers,  I  became  con¬ 
vinced  of  the  importance  of  giving 
all  children  free  access  to  com¬ 
puters. 

¥  N  THE  spring  of  1982,  I  placed  an 
A  ad  in  the  school  newspaper  of¬ 
fering  to  help  kids  build  ZX81  kits. 
Parents  were  to  pay  $150  for  a  kit, 
all  supplies,  and  my  time:  a 
reasonable  charge  as  the  complete 
ZX81  alone  was  then  selling  for  that 
price.  I  expected  half  a  dozen 
replies:  within  Four  days  I  had  28, 
mostly  from  10  and  11-year-old 
boys.  In  this  age  group  it  is  hard  to 
attract  girls  to  what  they  already 
see  as  a  male  realm. 

There  was  no  screening  of  kids 
for  this  workshop.  They 

TIMEX  SINCLAIR  USER  June  1983 


Chris  Ra/dmn  (above)  and  kids;  no  problem 
was  an  solvable, 

represented  a  valid  cross-section  of 
abilities  and  experience  in  kit- 
building  and  computers.  The  com¬ 
mon  thread  was  excitement  and  in¬ 
terest  about  computers.  Most  did 
not  know  how  to  solder;  most  did 
not  know  what  soldering  was. 
Could  youngsters  master  this 
delicate  art? 

As  the  starting  date  approached, 
my  wife's  worries  that  I  had  bitten 


off  more  than  I  (or  the  kids)  could 
chew  raised  doubts  in  my  mind  — 
doubts  about  working  with  so  large 
a  group  on  a  project  requiring  pa¬ 
tience,  certain  fine  motor  skills, 
and  care  in  following  directions. 
When  I  saw  a  review  in  a  popular 
computing  magazine  that  asserted 
that  building  the  21X81  kit  was  a 

More  than  half  the 
computers  worked 
when  they  were  first 
plugged  in 

project  to  be  undertaken  only  by 
adults,  my  concern  grew. 

By  the  third  two-hour  session,  all 
our  doubts  had  vanished.  The 
children  worked  with  an  intensity 
and  excitement  I  have  rarely  seen 
in  my  years  of  teaching.  Sure  they 
made  mistakes  along  the  way,  but 
all  were  caught  and  corrected.  No 
problem  was  unsolvable.  An  in¬ 
complete  kit  necessitated  a  letter  to 
Sinclair;  a  few  lost  pieces 
necessitated  several  trips  to  Radio 
Shack;  a  few  solder  burns 
necessitated  we  keep  first-aid  sup¬ 
plies  handy,  I  threw  my  back  out 
and  conducted  several  sessions  flat 
atop  a  table. 

I  anticipated  the  children  would 
finish  in  six  or  seven  sessions  and 
spend  the  rest  of  the  time  using 
their  computers;  week  by  week,  an¬ 
ticipation  and  worry  grew  over 
whether  the  computers  would 
work. 

They  were  completed  between 
the  eighth  and  tenth  sessions. 
When  we  plugged  them  in  for  the 
first  time,  more  than  half  worked 
right  away;  after  faults  were 
discovered  and  repaired  (the  most 
common  were  shorts  in  the  sockets 
and  under  the  keyboard  connec¬ 
tors)  most  of  the  others  also  became 
functional.  Only  one  had  multiple 
problems,  including  a  cold  solder, 
which  took  longer  to  track  down.  In 
the  months  since,  there  has  been 
only  one  failure  we  have  not  been 
able  to  correct  ourselves. 

You  see  stories  in  the  local  press 
headed,  “Whiz  kid  builds  own  com- 


17 


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puter,”  but  it  somehow  seems  too 
frequent  an  occurrence  to  justify 
calling  anyone  a  whiz.  I  believe  that 
just  about  any  10-year-old  could  do 
it  if  given  the  opportunity  and 
minimal  guidance. 

Last  September,  I  started  the 
New  Haven  Sinclair  Study  Group 
to  provide  continuing  stimulation 
for  kids  using  Sinclair  computers. 
We  meet  on  alternate  Tuesday 
nights  through  the  school  year.  Half 


“Can  11-year-olds 
master  the  delicate  art 
of  soldering?” 


of  each  meeting  is  given  to  a  discus¬ 
sion  demonstration  or  lesson,  and 
the  other  half  to  sharing  work,  com¬ 
paring  problems  and  exchanging 
ideas. 

T  LIKE  TO  TELL  KIDS  that  the 
Sinclair  case  is  black  only  to 
those  who  will  not  look  at  it;  to 
anyone  who  uses  the  computer,  the 
case  is  really  transparent  and  Clive 
Sinclair  meant  for  everyone  to  see 
inside  it  and  understand  it  and  put 
it  to  work  in  new  and  better  ways*  I 
hope  the  kits  become  available 
again  and  that  the  T/S2000  finds  a 
place  in  our  schools.  That  way;  we 
can  live  up  to  Clive  Sinclair's 
philosophy  of  bringing  computer 
power  to  all  the  people.  Computers 
are  very  powerful  tools,  and  we 
need  to  see  ourselves  in  a  position 
of  mastery,  not  intimidation. 

—  As  told  to  Boss  Williams 


Comments  from  the  Kids 


TATE  asked  the  members  of  the  New  Haven  Sinclair  Study  Group  to  tell  us 
*  ■  about  the  ZX81  and  their  experiences  building  it,  Some  of  their  comments: 

I  can  remember  the  first  day  of  the  computer  club  how  scared  I  was.  It 
seems  silly  to  think  of  it  now  but  I  was  really  scared,  I  thought  I  would  get  burn¬ 
ed  or  something.  It  looked  so  confusing  I  mean  when  I  opened  the  box  the  parts 
were  kept  in  for  the  first  time  all  I  saw  were  tons  of  little  odds  and  ends.  These 
odds  and  ends  are  now  my  ZX81.”  _  Avery  Grauer  oge  j  , 


I  can  barely  remember  trying  my  first  solder.  I  was  so  nervous  1  could  barely 
hold  the  soldering  iron*  After  I  had  completed  my  first  solder,  I  thought,  well, 
I  ve  only  got  299  solders  to  go!  And  believe  me  those  299  solders  were  not  easy!" 

—  Kent  Zimmer maun,  age  2 1 


“I  kept  messing  up  by  filling  holes  with  solder  and  putting  diodes  in  the 
wrong  holes.  After  I  finished,  it  did  not  work,  but  with  some  adjusting  it  worked 
^ine'  —  Jennifer  House,  age  1 1 


"It  was  fun  building  it" 


—  Andy  Cohen,  age  9 


"It  is  so  small,  light-weight  and  compact  it’s  hard  to  believe  it  is  a  computer." 

—  Wyeth  Friday ,  age  1 1 

The  ZX81  is  a  very  good  first  computer.  There  are  a  lot  of  things  you  can  do 
with  just  IK  that  you  wouldn't  dream  of  doing  when  you  first  get  it  home." 


Michael  SJavinsky,  age  1 1 


TIMEX  SINCLAIR  USER  June  1983 


19 


GlSDSTOftf-  BlECTROfUCS  GtSOSTOflE  -ElBCTROfltCS  GtaDSTOH^  BtECTROfltCS  GiaifSTOHl  BtECTROfHCS  GlBOSTOflf  EtECTROMCS  GiaOSTOFtE  BtBClROttlCS  GlROSTOnB-  BtECTROOtCS 


The  Complete  ZX81 
and  TS1000  Library! 


BOOKS 


The  Complete  ZX81  Basic  Course 

Basic  Course  Cassettes  (2)  . .  B7D  $29,95 

Getting  Acquai  nied  with  you  r  2X8 1  C  70  $8 .95 

ZX81  Pocket  Book  . .. . . . P70  $10,95 

Making  the  Most  Of  Your  ZXSi  . . P71  $10.95 

Computer  for  Kids,  ZX81  Edison  . .  C71  $4.95 

Explorers  Guide  to  the  ZX81  . .  T7Q  $1 2.95 

ZX81  Companion  . . .  G72SB.95 

49  Exploding  Games  for  the  ZX81  ...........  P72  $10.95 

Not  Only  30  Programs  for  ZX81  IK  . B72  $9.95 

Machi  ne  Language  Made  S  i  mple  . B73  $1 4,95 

Mastering  Machine  Code  on  your  ZX81  ...  P73  $1 2,95 
ZXB1  Rom  Disassembly:  Part  A  Both  for 

ZX01  Rom  Disassembly:  PartB  . ..»»« —  $19.95 

Understanding  your  ZX81  ROM  „„„„ . 076  $14,95 


NEW  RAM  PACK  STORES  16K  EVEN  WITH  POWER 
SWITCHED  OFF 

CRAM  1C -61  is  a  16K  RAM  pack  using  CMOS 
technology  for  per  mane  n  l  data  retention.  Data  can  be 
stored  almost  indefinitely  and  loaded  almost  instantly 
with  virtually  zero  chance  of  erro. 

CRAMIC-81  module  uses  chips  made  in  a  special 
CMOS  technology  which  require  only  a  tiny  amount  of 
power  lo  retain  data  when  not  actually  in  operation.  A 
slat  e-oMbe  art,  long  life  (10  years)  lithium  battery  sup¬ 
plies  this  power  in  the  standby  mode.  In  the  active 
mode,  power  is  taken  from  the  ZXSi.  Used  on  its  own 
it  behaves  like  an  ordinary  Hampack  EXCEPT  that  it 
can  be  powered  down  and  removed  Program  and  data 
lit  It  is  permanently  stored  when  this  is  done. 

An  ordinary  Rampack  can  also  be  connected 
simultaneously.  The  two  RAM  units  then  occupy  the 
same  memory  area  but  either  can  be  selected  Two 
separate  programs  can  actoafy  run  alternately. 

CRAMiC-Bi  comes  in  an  elegantly  molded  lie-fiat 
case  with  a  cabled  connector.  ^  _ _  „ 

C12  $179.95 


Cassette  Software 

ZX  FORTH 


A  complete  implementation  of  the  FORTH  language  for 
the  ZX81  and  T  STOOD  computer 

FORTH  s  most  distinctive  feature  ■$  its  flexibility  The 
basic  unit  IS  Ihe  word  —  me  programmer  uses  exist  ing 
words  to  define  his  own  which  ear  then  be  used  in  fur 
(her  definitions  FORTH  i$  a  complied  language  so  pro¬ 
grams  run  very  fast  (typically  five  limes  faster  man 
BASIC! 

ZX  FORTH  is  supplied  on  cassette  and  is  accompanied 
by  extensive  documentation 
06  page  Users  Manual 

8  pa  ge  E  di  I  or  M  an  ual  ^43  *2®  95 


ZX  BUG 


Machine  Code  Monitor  and  Disassembler 

ZXBUG  is  a  powerful  tool  ror  machine  language  pro¬ 
gramming.  It  is  4K  iong  and  uses  memory  from  71 EO 
to  the  top  memory.  ZX  BUG  works  in  hexadecimal 
(base  16),  not  decimal,  so  all  addresses  are  a  max¬ 
imum  of  4  Hex  bits  long.  Provides  a  total  of  28  com- 

mMdr  Z41  $14.95 


ZX  ASSEMBLER 


This  Machine  Code  program  occupies  7K  of  memory 
and  locates  it  sell  at  the  top  of  memory  The  program  is  a 
full  Ed  it  ort  Assembler  and  Monitor  Labels  may  be  used 
instead  of  any  string.  The  features  include  Line  Inser¬ 
tions  Delete.  Insert  Characters,  Auto  Repeat  on  ail  keys 
The  monitor  has  facilities  to  inspect  memory,  registers 
and  run  machine  code  programs. 

Z40  $1 4,95 

TOOLKIT 

9  Powerful  New  Functions! 

RENUMBER  This  routine  renumbers  a  program  in  any 
step  and  from  any  line  up  to  9999 
DELETE  This  command  deletes  a  group  of  lines  in  a  pro¬ 
gram 

MEMORY  Prints  how  much  spare  memory  is  available 
DUMP  Displays  current  values  of  string  and  numerical 
values  except  arrays 

FilMD  Will  find  any  string  ol  up  to  255  characters  and  list 
each  line  containing  lhat  string 

REPLACE  Replaces  any  string  of  up  lo  255  characters 
by  any  other  siring 

SAVE  Transfers  program  m  computer  to  below  RAM 
TOP 

APPEND  Allows  two  programs  io  be  joined 
REMKILL  Removes  all  REM  statements  from  a  program, 
otherwise  leaving  it  unchanged,  preserving  memory 


Z42  $14.95 


Z- AID  1.0 


Includes  I  he  following  routines 

VERIFY  confirms  whether  a  program  has  been  recorded 
properly  on  lape  The  program  m  memory  is  unallected. 
and  a  luriher  '  save  can  t>e  made  if  necessary 
Mioad/Msave  enables  a  speed  red  block  of  memory  to  be 
Saved  VPTR  can  be  used  within  a  BASIC  program  to 
eliminate  many  tedious  POKES  and  PEEKS  in  hnding  the 
addresses  where  variable  values  are  slored 
CHAIN  allows  the  second  part  of  a  BASIC  program  lobe 
loaded  and  lacked  onto  the  end  of  the  first  part 
2  AID  1  0  is  convenient  to  use.  being  loaded  from  tape, 
and  residing  at  the  top  Of  16K  memory  The  user  ac 
cesses  Ihe  various  routines  wilh  USR  calls  while 
loading,  running,  editing  and  saving  BASIC  programs 

wwmfiy  Z98  $14.95 


CRAMIC-81 

16K 

CMOS  RAM 


KEYBOARD 

with  metal  case  K71 


A  lull  sized  professional  keyboard  for  the  ZX81  Features 
47  keys  and  a  full-sized  space  bar  Connects  to  the  2X8 1 
with  no  soldering  required,  via  ■  plug-in  flexible  connec¬ 
tor.  You  can  purchase  the  keyboard  only,  or  the  optional 
metal  case  that  holds  both  keyboard  and  ZXSi,  Expan 
sion  devices  ji.e  RAM  packs,  etc)  connect  to  the  ZX8t 
edge -conned or  which  extends  from  the  rear  of  the 
cabinet. 

■  American  made  *  Keycap  legends  will  NOT  wear 
out  •  keys  with  life  rated  at  20  MILLION  cycles 

Keyboard  K70  $79.95 

Metal  case  tor  keyboard 

and  ZXSI  E70  $25.00 

Giaosrons 

64K  RAM 


Expands  the  capacity  of  the  T/S  1 000  or  ZX81  to  its 
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Special  $129.95 


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programs  up  to  6  TIMES  FASTER! 

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memory  usage 

♦  LOADER  occupies  less  than  500  bytes  (YzK)  of 
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♦  Consists  of  2  separate  programs  — 
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a  number.  If  you  are  the  first  qualified  entrant  to  solve 
alt  12  clues  and  declared  the  winner,  you  receive  two 
tickets  to  the  city  of  the  secret  KRAK1T™  vaUlt  |Dca, 
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minimum  amount  of  $20,000  00  (U  S.)  will  be  presented 
to  you.  The  amount  of  the  prize  money  is  augmented 
weekly 


Packl 


Coniains  2  tapes  with  an  instruction/applications 
manual  with  the  following  programs; 

BREAK  EVEN  ANALYSIS;  Enter  expense  items  by 
name  Enter  revenue  items  by  name.  Enter  fixed  costs 
and  variable  costs  Calculate  break  even  point  and 
plot  expense  and  revenue  curves.  Backward  calcula¬ 
tion  by  setting  breakeven  point  quantity,  expense  or 
revenue. 

CASH  FLOW  ANALYSIS;  Enter  income  and  expense 
Hems  Caicuiate  net  income.  Calculate  discounted 
cash  flow  —  PV  and  NPV  Plot  NPV  for  various  in* 
terest  rales 

PAYBACK  ANALYSIS:  Enter  expense  and  revenue 
items.  Calculate  years  to  payback. 

tNTERNAL  RATE  OF  RETURN;  Enter  expense  and 
revenue  Hems.  Display  net  cash  flow.  Calculate  IRR 
DEPRECIATION  ANALYSIS:  Enter  depreciable 
amount.  Select  depreciation  method  and  enter 
parameters.  Calculate  depreciation  by  any  currently 
allowed  method. 

Z49  $29.95 

Path  U 

PROJECT  SCHEDULER:  Record  project  est. 
hours,  hours  to  date,  remaining  hours.  Record 
billing  rate,  employees  involved.  Display  amount 
billed,  current  billing,  estimated  billing  remain¬ 
ing. 

PROPOSAL  SHEET:  Record  work  items  and 
hours.  Record  hourly  billing  rates.  Display  over¬ 
heads,  material  cost  and  labor  totals. 

250  S  14.95 

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DAMES 


Pilot  your  space  craft 
through  a  last  moving,  com¬ 
plex  space  maze  Watch  out 
tor  miseries  being  fired  from 
ail  directions  You  can  shoot 
back  or  evade  them.  Written 
in  machine  code  for  fast 
paced  excitement. 

Z90  $14,95 


Blackjack  al  its  best  Black 
jack  as  it  played  in  the 
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dealer  with  a  fifty- two  card 
deck.  Split  pairs,  double 
down,  and  even  buy  in¬ 
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allows  for  a  continuous 
game  Your  winnings  and 
losings  are  displayed  after 

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Now  choose 
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ZX  CHESS 

Full  graphic  display  of  chess  board.  Six  levels  of  play, 
two  of  which  play  within  competitive  time  limits  You 
choose  black  or  white  Plays  all  legal  moves  including 
castling  and  en  passant  You  can  save  games  in  pro 
gress  on  cassette.  Displays  moves  of  game  on  screen, 
or  output  yo  printer,  for  analysis  Board  can  be  set  up  in 
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Clear  entire  board  with  one  command;  for  end  game 
analysis.  Written  totally  in  machine  code.  ZX  CHESS 
(Enhanced)  is  a  superb  game  tor  the  advanced  chess 

pla''*'  Z85  $14.95 


ZX  CHESS 


The  strongest  chess  game  available  on  ZX£i  ZXCHES5 
n  has  not  ben  beaten  All  the  features  ot  ZX  CHESS 
(Enhanced),  plus  much  more  Has  a  book  of  32  opening 
moves  Can  play  at  ?  leveis.  four  Of  which  play  within 
competition  time  limits  A  move  is  suggested  by  the 


Z86  $24.95 


Here  is  your  chance  to  beat 
the  one-arm  bandits  . 
Slots  lets  you  choose  5$.  iQ$, 
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six  sets  of  different  graphics 
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ZX  Galax  ia  is  an  adaptation  to 
the  ZX8T  of  Ihe  popular  arcade 
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are  being  attacked  by  hostile 
Galaxians.  and  it  s  your  mission 
to  prevent  them  from  attacking 
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Z72S14.95 


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IK  ZX  CHESS 

A  good  introduction  to  chess  lor  IK  ZXfliH'StOOO 
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Single  level  of  play  Does  not  accept  castling  or  en- 
passant  moves  2B7  $9,95 

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It  s  also  a  constant  battle 
against  marauding  sharks 
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blast  with  your  laser  ZBG  $9.95 


GALAXY 
INVAD 

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fleets  of  hostile  invaders, 
who  swoop  down  and  aiiack 
quickly.  T  version  is  an  ex¬ 
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TStOQG  to  entertain  and  ex¬ 
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Computers  as  teachers: 
do  they  work? 


Computers  are  in  our  schools  now, 
and  students  are  using  them  every 
day.  Are  they  dehumanizing?  Do  they 
teach  anything?  Will  teachers  reject 
them?  Charles  Durang,  science  and 
computer  editor  for  Reston 
Publishing,  explores  some  old 
computer  myths 


CAN  you  remember,  not  too 
long  ago,  when  no  one 
thought  computers  would 
get  into  the  education  business 
within  our  lifetimes?  We  heard 
most  of  the  following: 

“We  won't  use  computers  in  our 


schools  because  they  are  too  expen¬ 
sive.” 

“Computer-aided  instruction  is 
dehumanizing  —  it’s  mass- 
production,  lockstep,  standardized 
education.” 

“The  computer  can  be  a  very 


useful  tool,  but  the  teachers  and  ad¬ 
ministrators  are  too  conservative. 
They  may  also  be  afraid  of  being 
replaced  by  the  machines.  It  will  be 
a  long  time  before  computers  are 
accepted  in  the  schools.” 

“IPs  another  form  of  program¬ 
med  instruction,  and  look  what  a 
bust  that  was,” 

Well,  it's  time  to  take  another 
look:  each  of  those  statements  bears 
a  little  examination  in  the  light  of 
what's  been  going  on  during  the 
last  year  or  two. 

Prices  of  all  computers  have  been 
dropping  rapidly,  and  with  the  ad¬ 
vent  of  the  under-$100 
Timex/Sinclair  1000  [nee  Sinclair 
ZX81],  there  is  no  school  district  — 
and  few  families  —  too  poor  to 
jump  on  the  computer  bandwagon. 
One  company  is  producing  a 


22 


TIMEX  SINCLAIR  USER  June  1983 


BdteCcChotL* 


L 


package  including  computers, 
monitors,  cassette  storage  units, 
software  and  perhaps  printers  —  at 


“Computers  are  too 
expensive” 

a  price  for  ten  systems  that  com¬ 
pares  to  the  price  of  one  Apple- 
based  system ! 

Today,  the  computer  is  proving, 
when  employed  for  simple  drill- 
and-practice  exercises,  to  be  more 
individualized,  more  self-paced, 
more  forgiving  and  less  judgmental 
than  any  teacher  and  classroom  en¬ 
vironment  can  be.  Computer-aided 
curricula  are  able  to  be  more  truly 
“competency-based”  than  anything 
that  has  gone  before. 

For  inductive  kinds  of  learning 
(although  this  kind  of  thing  is  clear¬ 
ly  in  its  infancy  as  far  as  currently- 
available  software  goes),  a  com¬ 
puter  program  can  support  and 
manipulate  a  large  data  base  for 
student  exploration  and  discovery 
of  facts  and  relationships  —  at  the 
student’s  pace,  at  the  student’s 
direction,  using  the  student’s 


“Computer-aided 
instruction  is  lockstep 
education” 


methods.  We  can  learn  how  to 
learn  even  as  we  learn  facts! 

The  misconception  that  lay 
beneath  a  lot  of  the  anti-computer 
rhetoric  was  this:  on  the  one  hand 
you  have  a  teacher,  a  living,  feeling 
human  being  who  will  be  sensitive 
to  all  the  students  in  class  and  ad¬ 
just  the  environment  to  help  them; 
on  the  other  hand  is  the  machine, 
inflexibly  programmed  to  proceed 
at  its  own  pace. 

The  reality  is  that  the  teacher 
cannot  address  every  student’s 
needs  simultaneously  —  in  fact,  the 
classroom  environment  mandates 
lockstep  methods  —  while  behind 
the  computer  is  another  thinking, 
feeling  human  being  who  wrote  the 
program  the  student  is  using.  The 
student  is  not  learning  from  the 
computer,  but  from  the  program  — 

TIMEX  SINCLAIR  USER  June  1 983 


ultimately,  from  the  teacher  who 
created  the  program.  By  repeating 
tirelessly  at  the  student’s  option, 
moving  ahead  rapidly  in  response 
to  student  progress,  and  trying 
alternative  approaches  to  the  same 
concept  when  indicated,  the  com¬ 
puter  provides  the  true  self-paced 
and  individualized  environment. 
And  the  uncertain  student  will  find 
his  confidence  growing  in  response 
to  the  program’s  encouragement, 
rather  than  shrinking  because  of 
classmates’  derision  or  a  teacher’s 
ill-concealed  dismay. 

Teachers  are  rapidly  overcoming 
their  legendary  (and,  it  appears, 

“The  educators  are  too 
conservative” 

largely  fictitious)  “computer  anxie¬ 
ty”  and  recognizing  the  potential  of 
this  new  medium.  They  are  actively 
seeking  to  put  the  machines  in  the 
classroom;  principals  and 
superin tendants  are  putting  them 
in  the  budget. 

A  recent  survey  by  Market  Data 
Retrieval  shows  that  24,642  school 
districts  in  the  U,S,  now  use  com¬ 
puters  for  instructional  purposes, 
including  10,499  of  the  nation’s 
52,000  elementary  schools  (an  in¬ 
crease,  at  the  elementary  level,  of 
80  per  cent  over  last  year). 

There  is  the  recognition,  on  the 
part  of  parents  as  well  as  teachers, 
that  today’s  students  will  have  to 
understand  and  be  able  to  deal  with 
computers  to  survive  in  tomorrow’s 
world. 

There  is  also  —  though  it  is  a 
secondary  consideration  —  the  fact 
that  the  computer’s  basic  data  pro¬ 
cessing  capability  for  record¬ 
keeping  makes  it  easy  to  administer 
each  student’s  program  in  a  way 
tailored  to  the  individual. 

Most  important,  of  course,  is  the 
fact  that  educators  realize  the 
potential  of  all  we  said  above,  and 
that  the  microcomputer  as 
“teacher’s  aide”  can  provide  both 

“The  computer  is  ,  .  . 
more  forgiving  and  less 
judgmental  than  any  ■ 
teacher  ...” 


remedial  and  advanced  self-study 
—  at  ever-declining  cost  —  to  sup¬ 
plement  the  teacher’s  own  efforts. 


“Programmed  instruction 
was  a  bust” 

There  is  little  doubt  of  the  truth 
of  that  statement,  and  there  certain¬ 
ly  is  a  relationship  between  pro¬ 
grammed  and  computer- 
programmed  instruction.  There  is 
even  the  chance  that  computer- 
aided  learning  will  indeed  suffer 
the  fate  of  its  predecessor.  But  the 
differences  are  encouraging: 

1.  The  climate  today  is  more 
receptive  to  a  new  approach. 

2.  The  computer  is  innately 
more  powerful,  and  more  in¬ 
teresting  to  the  students,  as  a  tool. 

3.  The  potential  economic 
rewards  are  such  as  to  attract  the 
best  people  (educators  as  well  as 
programmers)  to  the  software  ef¬ 
fort. 

There  is  a  lot  of  educational  soft¬ 
ware  out  there  already,  but  much 
more  is  needed.  It  is  likely  that,  this 
time,  the  good  will  drive  out  the 
bad,  rather  than  the  other  way 
around. 

Perhaps  the  most  exciting  facet 
of  the  computer-assisted  learning 
movement  is  the  extent  to  which 
computers  are  being  used  at  home 
for  education  of  all  sorts,  and  for 
every  member  of  the  family! 

Parents  are  eagerly  rushing  to 
purchase  personal  computers  to 
help  their  children  learn  at  home  — 

Computer-aided  learning 
at  home 

either  because  there  are  computers 
in  the  local  schools,  or  because 
there  are  not!  The  resulting 
pressure  from  the  home  front  is 
likely  not  only  to  speed  the  in¬ 
troduction  of  computers  into 
schools,  but  also  to  improve  the 
quality  of  education  in  general. 

Such  programs  as  Reston’s  Self- 
Teaching  Software  for  the  ZX81- 
TS100Q:  Mathematics  I-VI  are  like¬ 
ly  to  be  found  much  more  exten¬ 
sively  in  homes  initially,  and  find 


23 


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WIN  $20,000 

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KRAKIT  ”  consists  ol  12  clues  on  a  ready  to-run  ZXSi  or  TSiGOO 
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TS1000-ZX81 

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P.O.  BOX  1054,  BUFFALO.  N,Y,  14216 

Please  print: 


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Total 

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TIMEX^lN?LX!^Tj5yR  june  W 


SdltCcrflOtL, 


their  way  into  the  schools 
somewhat  more  gradually. 

Also,  because  learning  is  not  just 
for  kids,  many  adults  without 
children  are  buying  home  com¬ 
puters  specifically  to  learn  new 
skills  or  topics.  People  who  cannot 
afford  the  time  or  money  to  take 
courses,  or  who  are  embarrassed 
for  one  reason  or  another  about  be¬ 
ing  seen  in  a  class,  are  embarking 
on  their  own  programs  of  in¬ 
dividualized  learning. 

You  can  certainly  anticipate  the 
first  suggestion  from  this  corner:  go 
get  a  computer  if  you  don’t  have 
-one!  The  Timex/Sinclair  1000  is  a 
good  starting  place.  While  it  is  not  a 
competitor  to  Atari  for  games,  or  to 
IBM  for  business  applications,  it  is 
a  superb  learning  tool  —  and  a 
sophisticated  machine  that  the  pro¬ 
grammer  will  not  outgrow  as  he 
progresses  from  novice  to  expert. 
Second,  be  conscious  of  the  com¬ 
puter  as  an  educational  aid  at 
home.  Look  for  appropriate  soft¬ 
ware  for  learning,  not  only  for  the 
children  but  also  for  the  adults  in 
the  family.  Remember  this:  your 
home  computer  is  not  only  good  for 
learning  about  various  topics  . ,  . 
and  not  only  for  learning  about 
computers  because  they  will  be  all 
around  us  for  the  foreseeable  future 
.  .  -  but  also  for  learning  about 
thinking  and  problem  solving. 
Someone  has  said,  and  many 
have  repeated  it,  that  the  computer 
will  always  do  exactly  what  you  tell 
it  to  do,  which  is  not  necessarily  the 

What  can  I  do  now? 

same  as  what  you  want  it  to  do. 
Learning  to  program  a  computer, 
even  at  a  very  rudimentary  level, 
teaches  clear  thinking  and 
problem-solving  analysis  in  a  way 
that  the  freshman  Logic  course 
always  aspired  to  do. 

Don't  worry  if,  when  you  bring 
home  your  computer,  your  children 
only  want  to  “play  games/'  First, 
they  will  learn  from  the  games.  Se¬ 
cond,  they  will  next  want  to  make 
up  their  own  games  —  they  will 
learn  to  program.  And,  perhaps 


later  rather  than  sooner,  but  almost 
inevitably,  they  will  put  that  pro¬ 
gramming  knowledge  to  work  in 
other  areas. 

Educators,  students,  parents, 


learners:  you  cannot  go  wrong  by 
owning  a  computer  today.  You  may 
not  learn  what  you  thought  you 
were  going  to  learn.  But  learn  you 
will! 


How  educational  are  the 
‘educational”  programs? 

we  looked  at  five  different  educa¬ 
tional  programs  available  for  the 
T/S  IOOO,ZX81. 

MINDWARE'S  Multiple  Choice 
program  begins  with  clear  screen 
information  and  instructions,  and 
guides  the  student  very  well 
through  each  stage.  Basically,  this 
program  is  a  set  of  questions  rang¬ 
ing  from,  "What  is  the  capital  of 
New  York  state?"  to  "What  is  the 
square  root  of  2?” 

What  the  test  does,  it  does  okay. 
It  does  not  meet  our  simple  re¬ 
quirements,  though,  to  really 
classify  as  an  educational  program. 
It  does  not  hone  in  on  specific  lear¬ 
ning  objectives.  It  does  not  teach 
anything.  It  does  give  a  general  in¬ 
formation  test. 

The  more  important  part  of  this 
program  is  its  ability  to  let  you  (stu¬ 
dent,  parent,  or  teacher)  create 
your  own  test.  You  put  the  pro¬ 
blems  and  answers  into  the  pro¬ 
gram.  Multiple  Choice  leads  you 
clearly  and  easily  through  that  pro¬ 
cess.  In  this  mode,  the  program  ac¬ 
cepts  questions  and  answers  of  up 
to  32  characters  each.  After  you 
have  created  your  test,  you  can  save 
it  for  later  use.  Thus  you  (teacher, 
student  or  parent)  can  create  a  file 
of  tests  on  different  subjects  and  of 
varying  difficulty. 

Another  program  that  lets  you 
create,  save  and  re-use  your  own 
tests  is  called  Flashcard.  A 
flashcard  is  a  device  used  in  many 
classrooms.  It  has  a  problem  or 
question  on  one  side  and  a  solution 
or  answer  on  the  other.  On  the 
T/S1000.ZX81  version,  you  put  pro¬ 
blems  on  as  many  as  100  cards,  and 
answers  which  are  then  mixed  by 


Joseph  Gladstone 
Former  educator 
evaluates  some 
teaching  software 


KIDS  DO  LEARN  from  using 
computer  games.  This  does 
not  make  those  games  educa¬ 
tional  programs.  To  be  educational, 
a  program  must  teach  something 
that  somebody  planned  to  teach.  In 
the  jargon  of  the  schools,  that  is 
called  a  learning  objective. 

Further,  to  be  educational,  a  pro¬ 
gram  must  show  somehow  that  the 
kid  has  learned  that  objective.  In  a 
game,  that's  easy.  You  can  see  how 
well  the  player  does  .  . .  how  many 
aliens  were  stopped  or  how  many 
dots,  dashes  or  stars  eaten. 

Games  also  have,  built-in,  the 
thing  teachers  call  “motivation.” 
That  is,  kids  want  to  do  it. 

Putting  these  elements  together, 
we  see  that  an  educational  program 
should  have  a  specific  goal,  should 
motivate  the  child  to  do  the  work 
well,  and  have  a  testing  system 
built  into  it.  With  all  this  in  mind, 


25 


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I .  Peel  of  the  touch  sensitive  key  pad. 


1  Plug  in  Klik*  Keyboard  {no  soldering)  and  place  in  position. 

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SATISFACTION  GUARANTEED  OR  YOUR  MONEY  BACK 

TS-ART 

TS  ART  helps  you  create  graphics  on  the  screen  with 
a  pencil,  an  eraser,  about  120  brushes,  a  video  inverser 
and  a  ‘flicker’  .  You  can  easily  move  these  tools  in  6 
directions  or  along  lines  or  circles  which  are  drawn, 
erased,  painted  with  a  brush,  video  inversed  or 
"flickered'1.  You  can  set  a  different  background  to  any 
quarter  of  the  screen.  You  can  define  new  graphic 
commands  —  for  example  one  that  "does"  a  square. 
Then  by  pressing  only  one  key  you  can  make  any  of  the 
tools  do  a  square  anywhere  on  the  screen;  so  a  square 
can  be  drawn,  erased,  painted,  and  so  on.  And  the 
square  can  be  rotated  and  it  can  be  compressed  or  ex- 
panded  to  any  size.  And  it  can  be  used  as  a  building 
block  for  other  commands  you  define.  And  you  can  save 
or  print  the  artwork.  And  , , . 

TS-ART  is  very  easy  to  learn  and  use,  so  4  year  old 
kids  master  its  basic  commands  in  minutes.  Yet  it  is 
powerful  and  sophisticated  to  satisfy  the  most  creative 
user. 

TS-ART  is  fun;  is  a  screen  editor  that  can  mix  text  with 
graphics;  is  a  smart  educational  device  (ages  4  to  99) 
that  indirectly  teaches  {LOGO  style)  concepts  in  arith¬ 
metic,  geometry  and  computer  science  by  making  ab¬ 
stract  ideas  visible  and  concrete 

All  this  power  (and  more)  for  only  $1 2.95  (add  $1 .50  for 
s  &  h  in  U.S.  or  $2.50  outside  U,S+).  16K  RAM. 

Win  $50  if  we  use  your  artwork  in  our  ads, 

KSOFT,  845  Wellner  Rd.,  Naperville,  IL  60540. 


Nam« - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Address - - _ - - - - - - - - — 

Qt  y/St  ate/Zip - - - - - 

Chech  VISA  I  w 

Card  Number  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ — - Exp - 

l 

Phone  Orders  (312)  96M250 

For  more  information,  circle  12  on  reader  service  card. 


TIMEX  1000.  O-fll  [80) 

□  8  Port  10 

Interfaces  up  to  eight 
one- byte  ports 
Accepts  16K  RAM 

10  $89 

□  JIDDA 

2-channels  A/D.  2-0 /A 
Computer  sensing  and 
control  ot  ( analog ) 
electrical  devices  (0-SV) 

adda  sea 


□  Beeper  [Clock  Switch  | 

Programmable  frequency  tone  generator, 
clock  (milliseconds  to  years) . . 

bcs  m 

Each  board  comes  with  educational  docu¬ 
mentation,  applications. 

and  applications  programs  _ -  -  —  — . 

(IK  RAM).  $5  handling  VTIflCf  Q 

charge  on  all  orders. 


ORDER 
TOLL  FREE: 

BOO- 227  1617 

operator  641 
(CA,  800-772-3545 
operator  641) 


Box  1140 

2000  Center  Street 
Berkeley.  CA  94704 


developments 


For  more  information,  circle  13  on  reader  service  card. 

TIMEX  SINCLAIR  USER  June  1983 


26 


fJRattn<j  tAe  frfuca/icno/  f/bfAmtie 


Graphic! 

Ed. 

Value 

Fun  to 
Im 

Work 

Book 

Help  tn 
School 
W'ork 

Program 

Mo  nay 
Value 

In«t  ruc¬ 
tion! 

Clrcla 

Reader 

Sarvlca 
Card  No. 

ATOR,  THE 

ABC  GATOR 
(Timex) 

S 

9 

8 

No 

9 

9 

Excellent 

Good 

52 

COMPUTER 

TUTOR 

(Softsync) 

8 

6 

8 

No 

6 

7 

Fair 

Good 

53 

FLASHCARD 

(International 

Publishing) 

7 

7 

6 

No 

7 

7 

Good 

Good 

54 

MATH 
SERIES 
(Reston ) 

8 

9 

a 

Yes 

9 

9 

Excellent 

Good 

55 

MULTIPLE 

CHOICE 

(Mindware) 

7 

7 

8 

No 

7 

7 

Good 

Good 

56 

the  computer  and  presented  to  the 
learner  in  one  of  two  ways:  ran¬ 
domly  with  repeats  for  a  set 
number  of  cards;  or  randomly  with 
no  repeats,  but  using  all  the  cards. 
At  the  end  of  either  test,  your  score 
is  presented. 

Both  Flashcard  and  Multiple 
Choice  let  you  put  what  you  want 
into  a  good  drill,  review  or  test  of 
that  information.  Neither  one 
teaches,  but  either  could  form  the 
basis  of  good  trivia  games. 

Softsync  has  a  series  called  Com¬ 
puter  Tutor,  We  looked  at  two  in 
the  series,  Math  Raiders  and 
Alpha/Vowel  Tutor.  I  would  have 
felt  better  if  the  word  “tutor"  had 
not  been  used;  it  is  defined  in  the 
dictionary  as  “teacher,”  but  these 
programs  do  not  teach.  They  do  tell 
you  if  you  are  right  or  wrong  and 
they  do  give  you  the  right  answers, 
but  is  that  really  teaching?  We  don’t 
think  so! 

In  Math  Raiders,  the  game  con¬ 
cept  has  been  well  used  to  motivate 
the  child.  The  student  uses  his  math 
skills  to  ward  off  the  landing  of  an 
alien  form.  Each  weapon  (addition, 


subtraction,  multiplication,  and 
division)  has  two  levels  of  difficul¬ 
ty.  For  fun,  these  programs  rate 
high.  For  educational  content,  they 
rate  low.  They  include  too  many 
different  types  of  problems  with  too 
wide  a  skill  range.  They  lack  a 
logical  progression  in  problem 
presentation. 

Timex’s  education  program 
A  tor,  the  ABC  Gator,  is  extremely 
well  done.  It  has  eye-catching,  high- 
interest  graphics,  great  pacing  and 
sound  . ,  »  that’s  right,  sound  in  a 
T/S100Q,ZX81  program.  You  or  the 
child  synchronize  the  tape  through 
a  simple  but  very  effective  count¬ 
down.  The  child  hears  original 
music  and  great  instructions  while 
working  the  computer.  This  com¬ 
bination  of  computer  and  tape 
recorder  produces  a  fine  educa¬ 
tional  package. 

The  one  fly-in-the-ointment  in 
this  package  is  the  language  used 
on  the  screen.  A  child  learning  the 
ABC  s  certainly  cannot  read  the  in¬ 
structions,  A  notice  should  be 
printed  on  the  instruction  sheet 
that  an  adult  or  a  reader  will  be 


needed  to  help  the  child  use  this 
program  effectively, 

Reston  Publishing  is  the  first  to 
launch  a  full-fledged  educational 
math  program  for  the 
T/SlQ0G,ZX81,  It  breaks  the  math 
lessons  into  six  sets,  one  for  each 
grade  from  one  to  six.  In  each  set 
there  are  32  separate  lessons;  each 
introduces  a  problem,  shows  how 
to  solve  it,  then  drills  and  tests  the 
student.  They  are  total  lessons  bas¬ 
ed  on  sound  classroom  techniques. 
More  important,  there  is  a 
workbook  for  each  set.  After  the 
student  does  a  computer  lesson,  he 
or  she  completes  a  pencil  and  paper 
test  of  the  skill  in  the  workbook. 
The  main  drawback  to  the  Reston 
program  is  the  price.  Each  set  (two 
cassette  tapes,  32  lessons,  a  64-page 
workbook  and  a  vinyl  binder 
storage  case)  costs  $29,95. 

ALL  IN  ALL,  we  were  really  disap¬ 
pointed  with  the  programs  that  pur¬ 
port  to  be  educational.  For  the 
T/SlOQG,ZX81  we  recommend  only 
the  Timex  and  Reston  materials. 


TIMEX  SINCLAIR  USER  June  1983 


27 


Check  our  handy  chess  guide 

VWVW/WWWWWWWWWWWWVWWWWWWVWVWWWWWVWWWWWWWWWWWWVWWl 


In  a  stalemate  over  which  chess 
program  to  buy?  Check  here  before 
you  make  your  move  and  you  won’t 
get  rooked! 


:  You  H  notice  4^hcmA  that 
Timefiare  alone  of  lie  j£Kgames 
forbids  you  to  resign  and  that  Super- 
■  chess  alone  plays  against  itself  drcouyh£\ 
‘(bame  Analysis  *  by  the  wayy  allows  you  * 
to  set  up  the  board  for  specific  prob -  ' 
lens  icahemdc  Excuse  me,  m  a 
little  hoarse  Achofeik It's  all 
these  cold  knights.,.  ^ 


PLAYING  FEATURES 


TO  HELP  you  bring  order  to  the 
wide  array  of  software 
available  For  the 
T/SlOOQ.ZXai,  our  writers  will  look 
at  specific  types  of  programs  in 
each  issue.  This  month  we  look  at 
six  different  chess  games. 

We  set  up  an  office  tournament 
which  pitted  machine  against 
machine,  software  program  against 
software  program,  and  people 
against  them  all.  We  found  that 
each  of  these  games  is  a  worthwhile 
purchase;  and  that,  frankly,  our 
game  has  to  improve  a  bit  before  we 
dare  rechallenge  any  of  the  16K 
games.  All  six  use  standard 
algebraic  chess  notation,  but  it 
doesn’t  matter  if  you  are  unfamiliar 
with  this  system:  only  the  Timex 
Sinclair  program  does  not  display 
the  notation.  0^0 


recommends  allows  you 
moves  to  resign 

levels 
of  play 

game 

analysis 

plays 

itself 

Castles 

En  passant 

Time  ware  Chess 

on  levels 

2  to  6 

NO 

6 

YES 

NO 

YES 

YES 

Chessmaster 

on  levels 

2  to  7 

YES 

7 

YES 

NO 

YES 

YES 

Superchess 

YES 

YES 

10 

YES 

YES 

YES 

YES 

IK  Chess 

NO 

NO 

1 

NO 

NO 

NO 

NO 

2K  Chess 

NO 

NO 

1 

NO 

YES 

YES 

YES 

Timex  Sinclair 
Chess 

NO 

YES 

6 

YES 

NO 

YES 

YES 

28 


TIMEX  SINCLAIR  USER  June  1983 


GAME  FEATURES 


saves 

a  game 

can  change 
sides 

can  change 
levels 

prints 

game 

screen 

display 

rating 

memory 

needed 

Timeware 

Chess 

YES 

YES 

YES 

YES 

7 

16  K 

Chessmaster 

YES 

YES 

YES 

YES 

8 

16  K 

Superchess 

NO 

YES 

YES 

YES 

9 

16  K 

IK  Chess 

NO 

NO 

NO 

NO 

7 

1  K 

2K  Chess 

NO 

NO 

NO 

NO 

7 

2  K 

Timex 

Sinclair  Chess 

NO 

NO 

NO 

NO 

6 

16  K 

you  know 
that  TimeWare  and  Chess 
r  Master  a  How  you  to  save  un-\ 
finished  games  for  later  Jjhst 
$uperthess  always  shows  past, 
mores,  the  others  only  upon  t 
Mrnt?m  ‘Screen display' 
t  measures  the  clarity  ana 
'.usefulness  of  the  displays.  ' 
.  ,  .^,}&ax*leofitoio?, 

'  How  shout  that  f 
‘Packaging** measure 
the  *u$tr~  friendlihMo  « 
each  package  on  a  scale 
ofltolO  too!  Care  to . 
join  me  in  a  coup  againstj 
'  theKing?  > 


OVERALL  FEATURES 


clarity  enjoyability 


play 


speed  of 
response 


i 

instructions 

of  game 

packaging 

(average) 

Timeware 

Chess 

7 

9 

9 

8 

Chessmaster 

7 

9 

9 

9 

Superchess 

9 

9 

7 

8 

IK  Chess 

7 

6 

9 

8 

2K  Chess 

7 

8 

9 

8 

Timex 

Sinclair  Chess 

8 

7 

9 

8 

game 

skill 


W^WWWWMWMWW^^^VWVVVVVVWWVft 

r  TIMEX  SINCLAIR  USER  RATING  (1-10) 
editor's  circle  reader 


Timeware  Chess 

7 

8 

8 

57 

Chessmaster 

9 

9 

9 

58 

Superchess 

8 

9 

9 

59 

IK  Chess 

5 

5 

7 

60 

2K  Chess 

6 

6 

7 

61 

Timex  Sinclair 
Chess 

8 

8 

7 

62 

’<  You'll 
notice  that' 
Che$sJfa$ter\ 
'  gets  the  best  \ 
rating  and — 
If  hat  are 
\tho$e  two  up 
[  there  plotting, 
against 
Jme  * 

.now  l, 


TIMEX  SINCLAIR  USER  June  1983 


-ttvu  k  proffr&w 


r 


m 

£ 


Go  with  the  flow  and  no 
illogical  jumps 


IPO 

DIM 

EH 

<10  0, 3  <1 ) 

300 

IF 

A*- 

"1“  THEN 

GOSUB 

2  0  0 

0 

10  0 

IF 

At* 

"2"  THEN 

GO  SUB 

300 

c 

500 

IF 

At* 

" 3 "  THEN 

COSUB 

ICO 

0 

60  0 

IF 

At- 

"1"  THEN 

GOSUB 

50  0 

c 

7C0 

IF 

At" 

"5"  JHLn 

GOSUB 

60  0 

0 

800 

CLC 

900 

GOTO  2 

00 

100  0 

CLS 

10  20 

PRINT 

TAB  12,  ' 

MENU 

1 1 

1030 

PRINT 

AT  5,7;" 1 

SEARCH 

I' 

"2 

DJ 

SPLAY  FILE  "  t 

AT  9 

y 

AT 

11, 

7  * "1  SAV 

E  FIL 

E- 

II  ir 

CR 

EAT E  FILE 

1035 

PRI 

NT 

AT  18,5;" 

ERIE 

OP 

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l 

1 0 1 0 

IMP 

UT 

A  t 

1  05  C 

IF 

At* 

11 "  THEN  G 

□TO  1 

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RETURN 

LE 
;"3 
"  |  AT 


’■;ai  7,7; 

LOAD  I'lLE 
13,7 


“Jf  * 

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I UN  <1"5> 


Listing  1 


John  Gilbert 
continues 
his  course 

Last  month  i  explained  how 
to  draw  a  flowchart  of  a  pro¬ 
gram  by  splitting  it  into 
parts.  Each  part  corresponds  to  an 
operation  performed  either  by  the 
user  or  the  computer  program.  This 
month  we  take  that  a  step  further 
and  examine  a  way  of  breaking  a 
program  code  into  easily- 
understood  areas. 

There  are  three  main  operations 
performed  in  a  program  —  input, 
processing  by  the  computer,  and 
output.  Each  of  those  operations 
has  a  distinct  box  in  a  flowchart 
and  each  has  a  distinct  part  in  a 
program.  If  a  beginner  is  to  use  the 
program  the  input  section  will  be 
the  longest,  because  of  error- 
trapping  techniques  and  instruc¬ 
tions.  The  processing  part  of  the 
program  will  be  the  longest  if  a 
technical  person,  such  as  a  scientist 
who  knows  about  computers,  uses 
it. 

Now  to  deal  with  methods  of 
prompting  a  user  to  enter  informa¬ 
tion  into  the  computer  and  the  best 
ways  in  which  the  computer  can 
handle  that  information.  With  pro¬ 
grams  such  as  the  database,  which 
is  to  be  constructed  in  this  series, 
the  screen  display  is  very  impor¬ 
tant.  The  computer  uses  the  screen 
to  display  information  to  a  user. 

Many  people  who  use  programs 
such  as  database  or  word  pro¬ 
cessors  will  know  nothing  about 
how  a  computer  works  or  what  it 
expects  as  input.  The  more  infor¬ 
mation  given  to  the  user  by  a  pro¬ 
gram  the  better.  That  does  not 
mean  clogging  the  screen  with  vast 
quantities  of  text.  Instructions  on 
the  screen  should  be  easy  to  read 
and  well-spaced.  The  clear  screen 
command  should  be  used  as  often 


30 


as  possible  to  break-down  informa¬ 
tion  into  easily-read  pieces  but  at 
the  same  time  the  jump  between 
one  screen  of  instructions  and 
another  should  be  almost 
transparent  to  the  user. 

The  text  must  flow  naturally  and 
there  should  be  no  illogical  jumps 
in  the  instructions.  That  is  a  matter 
of  experience  but  the  database  has 
been  designed  with  clarity  of  in¬ 
structions  and  prompts  for  inputs 
in  mind. 

The  most  important  instructions 
should  stand  out  from  the  rest.  That 
can  be  done  by  liberal  use  of  the 
GRAPHICS  mode. 


Listing  one  is  the  menu 
subroutine  for  the  database.  One 
thing  people  tend  to  forget  is  that 
they  have  the  use  of  all  the  screen. 
Do  not  cram  things  into  the  corners 
or  sides  of  a  screen.  Titles  should 
be  central  and  if  there  is  only  an  IN¬ 
PUT  prompt  on  the  screen,  a  good 
place  to  put  it  is  the  top  left-hand 
corner. 

Listing  one  is  the  first  module  of 
the  program.  If  there  is  a  menu  in  a 
program  it  should  be  situated  at  the 
top  of  the  code  after  any  single  or 
array  variables  have  been  declared, 
as  in  line  100  of  listing  one. 

The  menu  module  will  display 

Listing  2 


10  0  0  REM  LOnlJ  ROUTINE 
1C  10  CL3 

1015  PRINT  AT  0 , 0  J "NAME  FILE  TO  BE  ENTERED  " 
inio  INPUT  Ct 

1030  IF  Ct  =  "  "  THEN  GOTO  'Hi  10 
1010  PAUSE  10 
1012  CLS 

1015  PRINT  AT  0, 0*" SET  UP  TAPE  AND  PRESS  ENTER" 
1050  PAUSE  10000 
10 AC  LOAD  Ct 

1070  PRINT  AT  0,0* ‘'FILE  LOADED 
10SC  PAUSE  100 
1090  RETURN 


the  options  available  from  the  pro¬ 
gram;  ask  which  you  require,  put 
the  number  of  the  option  selected 
in  a  string  variable  A$,  and  transfer 
to  the  control  program,  also  in 
listing  one,  at  the  top  of  the  code. 
The  control  program,  consisting  of 
a  series  of  IF  . . .  THEN  instruc¬ 


.Isting  3 

soon 

REM  S 

AVE 

RCU 

sort 

CLS 

5010 

PRINT 

AT 

0,0 

5(512 

INPUT 

5  CIS 

IF  C* 

if  it 

THE'i 

5030 

PAUSE 

10 

SO  22 

CLS 

5035 

PRINT 

AT 

0,0 

5  03? 

PAUSE 

TOO 

00 

50-90 

PRINT 

..  f 

ILE 

5050 

SAUE 

Cl 

50,5(5 

PRINT 

..  F 

ILL 

5(570 

PAUSE 

100 

5080 

CLS 

5090 

RETURi 

N 

tions,  will  then  transfer  to  the 
subroutine  selected  from  the  menu. 

The  two  other  modules  which 
are  listed  in  this  article  are  for 
LOADing  data  files  —  listing  two  — 
and  SAVEing  files  —  listing  three. 

The  displays  in  both  the  SAVE 
and  LOAD  routines  are  important. 
Error  messages  should  be  displayed 


in  the  same  position  on  the  screen 
every  time  they  appear.  Every  pro¬ 
gram  should  have  a  standard  error 
message  area  to  which  the  user  will 
become  accustomed.  In  the  case  of 
the  database,  that  is  in  the  middle 
of  the  screen. 

The  prompts  and  information  in 
the  SAVE  and  LOAD  routines  may 
seem  simple  and  not  worthwhile 
but  the  writer  knows  about  the  in¬ 
ternal  workings  of  the  program  and 
what  to  enter.  A  newcomer  to  a 
program,  on  the  other  hand,  needs 
to  be  taken  through  it  step  by  step. 

When  a  module  of  a  program  has 
been  written  it  is  a  good  idea  to  test 
it  on  a  friend  or  relative  who  knows 
nothing  about  computers.  If  they 
can  follow  the  prompts,  leave  the 
display  as  it  is;  if  they  are  confused, 
you  know  you  have  more  writing. 

I  have  now  shown  how  the 
database  is  controlled  using  the 
menu  and  how  to  ease  a  user’s  task 
in  getting  through  the  program. 

e/'e 


WANT  TO  BUILD 
YOUR  LITTLE 

TIMEX/SINCLAIR 

INTO  A  REAL  COMPUTER? 

Try  our  plug-together  systems. 


MEMORY  TO 
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SOFTWARE 

KEYBOARDS 

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JOYSTICKS 

HI  RES 

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PRINTERS 


Dealer  Inquiries  Invited. 
Catalog— U.S.  Free.  $1.00  Outside  U.S. 


SincCadt  ^Cace 

P.O.  Box  2288A  •  Redmond,  WA  98052 


THE  TOMB  OF 

DRACULA! 


HORROR  ADVENTURE  GAME! 

forthe16K  TS1000/ZX81 
OR  48K  TS2000/SPECTRUM 

A  superb  3D  graphics  adventure  game!  Enter  Dracula'stomb  at 
30  minutes  to  sunset  .  wander  through  the  tomb's  pre- 
mapped  300  vaults  in  search  of  the  fabled  Vampire' s  Treasure 
P*4*  yP  valuable  silver  stakes  and  use  them  to  defend 
yourself  against  the  lurking  horrors .  .  .  ghouls,  zombies,  pits  of 
primaeval  slime ,  See  them  all  on  the  computer's  plan  of  the 
tomb ,  .  +  when  it  will  let  you!  Take  a  chance  on  a  Mystery  Vault 
...  if  you  dare!  And  all  the  time  the  minutes  are  ticking  by  to 

sur,set . wh*n  Dracula  rises  from  his  coffin  and  comes  after 

you!  Each  of  the  infinite  levels  of  the  tomb  has  its  own  300  vaults 
...  go  as  deep  as  you  like,  the  Pnnce  of  Darkness  will  seek  you 
out  in  his  blood-lust!  WARNING:  people  of  an  exceptionally 
nervous  disposition  should  play  this  game  only  during  the 
hours  of  daylight!  Special  facility  lets  you  save  a  game  in 
progress  onto  tape  so  you  can  continue  it  whenever  you 
choose. 

For  TS1 000/2X81  with  16K  RAM . $14.95 

For  TS2000/S  PECTRUM  with  48K  RAM . $14.95 

Price  includes  ready-to-load  cassette  with  library  case  and  inlay, 
full  instructions.  AIRMAIL  postage  and  packing.  Order  today r 
Money  refunded  if  not  delighted! 

Send  cash  or  cheque  to: 

FELIX  SOFTWARE  (DEPT.  SSU1) 

19  Leighton  Avenue,  Pinner,  HAS  3BW,  England. 


For  more  information,  cireJe  14  on  Reader  Service  Card. 


For  more  information,  cfrde  IS  on  Reader  Service  Cord.  31 


ZEBRA  JOYSTICK  ADAPTOR 

Allows  you  to  connect  any  Atari  compatible  joystick  to  your  ZX81  or  TS1 000. 


6  DIRECTION 
+  FIRE 
CONTROL 


EXPANSION 
CONNECTOR  FOR 
YOUR  MEMORY, 
PRINTER,  ETC. 


SIMPLY 
PLUG  IT 
IN. 


6  JOYSTICK  GAMES  $9.95 
ATARI  JOYSTICK  $6.50 
ADAPTOR  $19.95 

The  ZEBRA  Joystick  Adaptor  comes 
assembled  and  tested  with  simple 
instructions  to  make  joystick 
versions  of  most  action  games. 

Use  your  own  Atari  compatible 
joystick  or  add  $6.50  fora 
genuine  Atari  Joystick. 

15  DAY  MONEY  BACK 
GUARANTEE 


ONLY 

$19.95 

WITHOUT  SPEAKER 

$24.95 

WITH  SPEAKER 

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€103  NOT  JUST  30  PROGRAMS  FDR  THE  ZX81  5  9  0S 
€104  COMPLETE  T/S  BASIC  COURSE  S34  SO 


Hardwire  Manual 


DOS  UNDERSTANDING  TOUR  ZX81  ROM  $14  95 

CIOS  MACHINE  LANGUAGE  MADE  SIMPLE  $14  95 
€107  THE  INS  A  OUTS  OF  THE  TS 1  000  A  ZX0 1  $14  95 


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C110  Keyed  &  Labeled  ZX  Connector  $5.95 
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Cl  12  Expansion  Connector  . .  $2,50 


IMPORTANT!  All  ZEBRA  products 
can  be  piggybacked  in  any  order. 
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32 


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TIMEX  SINCLAIR  USER  June  1983 


THERE  is  an  over-abundance 
of  Space  Invaders  games, 
but  this  one  is  worth  a  try 
because  it  fits  into  IK  of  memory, 
A  fleet  of  20  "X”  ships  is  attack- 
ing  you.  You  must  destroy  at  least 
15  of  them  or  be  destroyed. 

The  cursor  arrows  move  you  up 
and  down  (the  shift  5  and  shift  7 
keys)  and  the  8  fires  your  laser  can¬ 
non,  You  begin  with  200  fuel  units 
and  use  one  every  time  you  move  or 
fire.  If  you  manage  to  destroy  all 
the  “X”  ships,  the  amount  of  fuel 
remaining  is  displayed. 


10  let  a-  o 
rc  let  j^zgo 
30  LET  K-lfl 
TO  LET  G-0 

50  LET  X-IWF  IftNUslO)  *  2 
60  LET  A=A  +  l 

70  If  A~21  THEN  CPTO  260 
B0  LET  Y^30 

90  PRINT  AT  K,0;CHf<*  130JCHR*  12&JAT  X,n'*X" 

100  ir  J  <  0  THEN  GOTO  150 

110  IF-  INKLVf^V"  THEN  LLT  K-K-l 

iza  IF  INKEY*  THEN  LEI  K-K+ 1 

130  IF  INKEY  THEN  PRINT  AT  K#  2  J  “**  ^  tufim11 

1^10  IF  INKEY*>rtS"  THEN  LEI  i 

150  LET  Y“Y- 1 ,5 

160  IF  Y "3  THEN  LET  G^G  +  1 

170  ir  G^5  THEN  GO W  2AQ 

101)  JE  Y=3  THEN  GOTO  5(1 

1?H  IF  INKEY *=■  "8"  AND  K«X  AND  Y <2 1  THEN  GOTO  220 
200  CLS 
210  GOTO  90 

220  PRINT  AT  X, Y-n  \ GHR*  1&9 

230  GOTO  50 

2A(J  PRINT  ** DESTROYED'* 

250  STOP 

260  PRINT  '‘YOU  WIN" 

270  PRINT  "FUEL  LEm"fJ 


TIMEX  SINCLAIR  USER  June  I9S3 


33 


Sixteen  pins  appear  at  the  top 
of  the  screen  for  Bowling 
and  the  ball  at  the  bottom. 
Use  keys  5  and  8  to  line  up  the  two 
and  press  key  0  to  bowl.  The  ball 
will  be  deflected  by  impact  with  the 
pins  and  thus  make  your  task  more 
difficult.  For  every  pin  hit  you  will 
add  one  to  your  score;  the  score  is 
printed  after  eight  balls  and  the 
game  ends  (IK  )• 


1 

LET  Q  -CODE.  11  H 

IF  F  >  CGDL  "(graphic  EVl  THEN  GOTO  CODE  "(inverse  )" 

2 

LET  S*Q 

45 

IF  INHFYV-"G”  THEN  G0SU6  CODE  ’*W" 

3 

LET 

5(1 

GOTO  CODE  ,iJ'* 

4 

LEI  M=CGDE  "{urapitic 

1 )" 

611 

PRINT  AT  YfrX+H} 

5 

FOR  TO  CODE,  “(griping  4>M 

65 

IF  PECK  ( PEEK  16390  +  VAL  "256"  *  PEEK  16399)  *  CODE 

6 

FOR  A^H+C  TO  CODE  M (graphic  E 

)"-L 

"T**  THEN  LET  G*Ci+h 

7 

PRINT  AT  B*  A ' "T" 

711 

PRINT  AT  Y,X+NJ  *'0**JAT  YfX-Mli  "(inverse  Oj,,#AJ  Y*X+rtJ 

13 

NEXT  A 

11  ” 

9 

LET  c-c m 

75 

LET  Y-Y-N 

in 

NEXT  B 

GO 

IF  Y-h  ti  THEM  LEI  1  -1  +  H 

u 

LET  X-CQDL  “Cftraphit; 

7  > " 

90 

IF  O  :  G  AND  RND  DAL  "*5"  THEN  LLI  X-X-fl 

20 

LET  r=M 

<?5 

IF  O  >  S  AND  RND  VAL  ",i"  THEN  LET  X*X+h 

25 

LET  Y-CODE  ,4?" 

100 

LET  S  O 

30 

LET  X=X  +  lIMKEY*^rtaM 

AND  X 

LUDt  " (graphic  1 

l",!  110 

IF  Y=N-rt  THEN  RET OPM 

-  i INKEY4 ”"5"  AND  X 

CODE  ‘,H< 

} 

120 

GOTO  CODE  "W" 

35 

PRINT  AT  Y,XJ  “  0  *' 

150 

PRINT  O 

34 


TIMEX  SINCLAIR  USER  June  1983 


Eleven-yeah-old  Keith 

Goode  of  Arlington,  Texas,  cer¬ 
tainly  gives  you  your  money's 
worth  with  this  program.  In  the 
menu,  Use  It  presents  you  with, 
you  can  choose  one  of  seven  op¬ 


tions.  The  first  turns  your  computer 
into  a  drawing  board.  Option  two 
draws  sine  wave  curves.  Three, 
four,  five  and  six  convert  your 
keyboard  into  a  mini-calculator* 
And  finally,  just  for  fun,  if  you 


choose  option  7,  Keith  has  your 
computer  show  you  its  entire 
character  set*  Thanks,  Keith  *  for 
showing  us  what  you  can  make 
your  machine  do,  (T/SlOOO,ZX81 
16K) 


io 

20 

30 
40 
50 
6  0 
70 
SO 
90 
100 
110 
170 
130 
140 
150 
160 
170 
ItJtf 
190 
20  0 
210 
220 
230 
210 
250 


PRINT  " USC  IT" 

PRINT  "BY  KEITH  CODDC" 

PAUSE  200 

CLS 

PRINT  "MENU I " 

PRINT 

PRINT  "1  >  PLOTTER" 

PRINT  "2  SINE  HAVE" 

PRINT  "3  AIJO" 

PRINT  "4  SUP T  RAC  J " 

PRINT  "5  MULTIPLY" 

PRINT  "6  >  DIVIDE" 

PRINT  "7  CHARACTER  LIST INC" 


PRINT  "a  BULLETIN 

guard 

PRINT  "9  NU1T" 

I  NT' LJ  r  A* 

IF 

A*:  'L"  U1EN 

Ml  TQ 

1000 

IF 

A*^"2"  THEN 

GOTO 

200  0 

IF 

At"  3 11  THEN 

UU 1  □ 

□  000 

IF 

At- "4"  THEN 

GOTO 

4  00  0 

IF 

At  "5"  THEN 

GOTO 

DO  0  0 

IF 

At-" 6“  THEN 

GUI  Q 

6000 

IF 

At*"7"  THEN 

GOTO 

/  0  0  0 

IE 

At- "8"  THEN 

GOT  U 

B0  0  0 

IP' 

At  "9"  THEN 

GOTO 

900  0 

605  CLS 
1000  CLS 
1010  INPUT  A 
1020  INPUT  U 
1030  PLOT  A*L 
10  40  GOTO  UJUk 
20  (JO  CLE 

2010  PUR  Z=0  IQ  *3 

2020  PLOT  2,22  +20*  SIN  (I/32*PI) 

7030  NEXT  Z 

2010  PAUSE  150 

2050  CLS 

ZIjoO  GuTO  DU 

30 OC  CLS 

3010  iNf  U  f  C 

3020  INPU1  U 

3030  PRINT  C» fj 

3040  PAUSE  200 

□050  CLS 

3060  dim  DU 

4  Ml  0  CLS 

4010  INPUT  L 

4020  INPUT  [ 

4030  PRINT  t  I 
4040  PRINT  L  [ 


4L50 

CLS 

1060 

GUT D  DO 

50  00 

CLS 

5010 

INPUT  G 

5020 

INPUT  IL 

5030 

PRINT  G*H 

5040 

PAUSE  200 

DODO 

CLS 

DO  60 

GOTO  Do 

6  LMT  0 

CLS 

6UUI 

INPUT  I 

602  0 

INF  LIT  J 

60  30 

PRINT  l/J 

6  (HU 

PAUSE  200 

60D0 

CLS 

6060 

GOTO  DU 

7U0  0 

CLS 

70  10 

FOR  X-t*  TO 

70  20 

PRINT  CHRP 

7030 

NEXT  X 

7040 

CLS 

70DO 

GOTO  50 

B0  0  0 

CLS 

coin 

INPUT  Mt 

UU20 

PRINT  ili 

D030 

GOTO  SO  Hi 

TIMEX  SINCLAIR  USER  /une  1983 


35 


KNIGHT’S  MOVE  uses  the 
movement  pattern  of  the 
knight  in  chess  to  try  to  cover 
every  space  in  a  square*  The  pro* 
gram  asks  where  you  wish  to  start 
on  the  board,  giving  the  vertical  co¬ 
ordinate  first,  and  then  marks  the 
moves  as  you  make  your  way  round 
the  board 

There  is  a  check  routine  to  make 
sure  you  cannot  cheat  by  making 
an  incorrect  move  or  land  more 
than  once  on  the  same  square. 
When  no  more  squares  can  be 
visited,  enter  0  as  the  number  for 
the  next  square. 

Press  ENTER  to  replay  the  game 
or  any  other  key  and  ENTER  to  end 
the  game* 

The  graphics  in  line  20  are  the 
capital  I  reversed  with  two  revers¬ 
ed  dashes  (shifted)  between  each* 
In  line  30  the  dashes  are  replaced 
by  reversed  spaces.  (T/S10QQ,ZX81 
16K) 


1  REM  KNIGHT'S  HQUE 
ID  DIM  8(8,8) 

2D  tET  I— I—I—  I—  I—  I— -IM 

3D  LEI  8$*«I— J— I— I— I—  I— I— I— 1“ 

-*10  CLS 
30  EAST 

60  PRINT  TAR  61"  X  2  3  *  3  6  7  8" 

70  PRINT  TAP  5;  A* 

SO  FOR  L=*l  TO  U 

90  print  tab  3;l;°‘  °;b*;tab  3;a* 
inn  next  l 

110  TOR  L-l  TQ  8 
120  FOR  C  =  1  TO  8 

130  lit  e<un-o 

HO  NEXT  C 
150  NEXT  L 
160  LET  M30 
170  SLOW 

180  PRINT  AT  20, QJ "WHERE  DO  YOU  WISH  TO  BEGIN" 

190  INPUT  Ci 

200  G05 UD  4 1U 

210  IF  L-9  THEN  GOTO  18U 

220  LET  M-H+ 1 

23 Cl  PRINT  AT  L*2tC»3+3iH 

2*0  IF  M  <  ID  THEN  PRINT  AT  L*2 ,0*3+41*'  11 
250  LET  Ll  =  L 
260  LET  Cl-C 


270  LET  B<L,C>-=1 

28 0  IF  M  <  6*  THEN  GOTO  310 

290  PRINT  AT  20 t 0 J "CONGRATULATIONS" 

300  GOTO  *90 

310  PRINT  AT  19, 1);"  10  SPACES  " 

320  PRINT  AT  2U,0; "WHERE  Dtl  YOU  WISH  TO  GO  NEXT0 
330  INPUT  Ci 

3*0  IF  Ci^Q"  THEN  GOTO  *90 

350  GPSUB  *1(1 

360  IF  L-9  THEN  GOTO  32U 

370  IF  L-L1'2  OR  L-Ll+2  AND  C-CJ-1  OR  C-Cl+1  THEN  GOTO  220 

380  IF  L=L|~1  OR  L-Ll+1  AND  OC1-2  OR  C-Cl+2  THEN  GOTO  220 

390  PRINT  AT  19,0} "IMPOSSIBLE" 

*00  GOTO  320 

*10  PINT  AT  2Q,0rf  2Q  SPACES 
*20  IF  LEIN  Ci  <>  2  THEN  GOTO  *70 

*30  LET  L-UAL  CiM) 

**0  LET  C-UAL  C$<2) 

*50  IF  L<l  DR  L>B  OR  C<1  OR  08  THEN  GOTO  *60 
*52  IF  8 ( L f C )  =  1  THEN  GOTO  *60 
*5*  RETUF*N 
*60  LET  L-9 

*70  PRINT  AT  19,0; “IMPOSSIBLE" 

*80  RETURN 

*90  PRINT  AT  21,0; "NL  TO  REPLAY  ■■ 

500  INPUT  C* 

510  IF  Ci"""  THEN  GOTO  *0 


36 


TIMEX  SINCLAIR  USER  June  1983 


— 


YOU  WILL  probably  recognize 
Surround  as  soon  as  you  RUN 
it.  It  is  a  version  of  a  fairly 
standard  routine  in  which  you  are 
required  to  surround  your  adver¬ 
sary  before  he  can  surround  you. 
Both  players  are  in  continuous  mo¬ 
tion  and  are  not  allowed  to  cross 
their  tracks  or  those  of  their  oppo¬ 
nent,  or  to  hit  the  boundary  or  the 
score  display. 

What  will  surprise  you  is  the  way 
in  which  the  T/S1000,ZX81  can 
recognize  two  keys  when  pressed 
simultaneously.  That  is  not  possible 
using  INKEY$  and  is  achieved  by 
utilizing  address  16421.  This  con¬ 
tains  a  number  which  changes  as 
groups  of  keys  are  pressed.  Lines 
185  to  260  translate  the  number  in¬ 
to  a  series  of  possible  moves. 

Black  uses  keys  1-5  to  move  up, 
Z-V  to  move  down,  Q-T  for  right 
and  A-G  for  left.  Grey  uses  the  keys 
6-0  for  up,  Y-P  for  right,  B-M  for 
down,  and  H-ENTER  for  left.  After 
a  crash  the  other  player  scores  one; 
the  winner  is  the  first  to  reach  15, 
The  routine  enabling  two  players 
to  participate  can  obviously  be  used 
in  many  graphics  games. 
(T/S1000.ZX81  16K) 


1  REtt  SURKbUNE)  BY  J.MINCHI.STEB 

5  LET  SX=0 

6  LET  SB*C 

7  LET  0-PECK  163?6+256*PEEK  16397 
10  POKE  IM 13 1  0 

20  PRINT  AT  Ct0f"+  +  tt  (+++  +  >+♦*  h+K  +  +  ++  +++  +  + 

30  TOR  P=1  TO  22 

10  PRINT  "+  +m 

sn  NEXT  p 

^  I,  PRINT  I  11  +  4  +  +4  +  +  t  +  +4  +  +  -t  +  4*  4-  +  +  -r  4-  fr  *  +  +  +  f  +  +  +  +  '■ 

7t)  PRINT  AT  2 1 2  tCTPi  SXJ  AT  2 ,23;  SIR#  5P 
RH  LET  X^12 
*0  LET  Y"3 


100  LET  B^t2 
110  LET  020 
120  LET  XI  0 
130  LEI  Yl  = 1 
1T0  LET  01*0 
115  LET  Cl— 1 


lj0  If  PEEK  <0+14  Y  +  33  *  X)  <>  0  THEN  GOTO  TOO 
160  IF  PEEP  tO+l+C+33*B)  O  0  THEN  GOTO  30  0 
170  PRINT  AT  X,Y;CHRf  U30J  JAT  BfC;CHRiU34> 

3RE>  LET  A-PEEE  16121 

LET^Xl^j  £*-222  DR  A-1?0  OR  A==251  OR  A-1 126  THt 
1<?(1  0R  OR  A-103  Oh  A=U9  THt 


2  00  IF  XI  O  C  TFfEN  LET  rl  =0 
210  IF  A*235  OF<  A=25l  PR  A^219  OR  A=  1  £7 
LET  Y 1 m 1 

715  IF  A=237  OR  A  - 221  OR  A -253  OR  A- 109 

LET  Yl~-1 

720  IT  Y 1  0  THEN  LEI  Xl-0 

730  IF  A-231  Oh;  A-239  OR  A“23S  UR  A-237 
LET  Bl— 1 

735  IF  A-119  UR  A-123  OR  A-125  OP  A-126 
LET  P4*l 

700  IF'  PI  O  THEN  LET  Cl'-tt 
315  IF  Oh:  A-219  OR  A*  2  23  OR  A=22l 

LET  Ci*l 

250  IF  A  - 103  OF*  A  L07  Ok  A=1B9  OR  A-191 

i  F  T  PI  =  1 

76P  tr  ci  ::  o  them  let  bi  o 

770  LET  X-X4X1 
200  LET  Y-r+f] 

29  €  IET  £aE:+E  1 

292  GOTO  150 

300  LET  I5X-GX4 1 

3UI  If  SX  <  15  THEN  GOTO  7 

320  STOP 

100  LEI  SB^lie+1 

T10  IF  SB  15  THEN  GOTO  7 


OR  A-125  THIN 
OR  A"- 125  THEN 

□R  A-230  THEN 
OR  A=127  THEN 

OR  A-222  THEN 
m  A~19B  THEN 


TIMEX  SINCLAIR  USER  June  3983 


37 


A  GAME  which  links  the  bug- 
baiting  type  of  program  with 
a  battle  against  alien  in¬ 
vaders  has  been  produced  by 
Sanath  Yogasundrum* 

When  the  game  begins,  the 
player  is  asked  for  a  skill  level,  A  or 
P,  which  stand  for  amateur  or  pro- 
fessional.  It  is  advisable  to  start  on 
the  amateur  level  while  the  player 
begins  to  understand  this  complex 
game. 

A  small  grid  is  shown  in  the  bot¬ 
tom  left-hand  corner  of  the  screen 
in  which  there  are  four  aliens, 


shown  as  X  and  $,  with  a  soldier  (*). 
The  soldier  has  to  dig  a  hole  (O)  and 
then  lure  the  aliens  into  it,  scoring 
100  points  for  every  X  and  200  for 
every  $. 

The  hole  is  dug  by  going  into  dig 
mode,  pressing  2,  and  pressing  the 
cursor  key  for  which  side  of  the 
soldier  you  wish  to  place  the  hole. 
The  soldier  can  then  be  moved  by 
pressing  01  to  return  to  movement 
mode,  and  using  the  cursors  in 
their  normal  directions. 

A  soldier  can  be  killed  either  by 
falling  into  his  own  hole  or  being 


eaten  by  an  alien.  The  game  lasts 
for  the  lives  of  three  soldiers, 
although  an  extra  soldier  can  be 
gained  by  scoring  more  than  3,000* 

Two  other  limitations  are  that 
only  one  hole  can  be  dug  at  a  time 
and  a  hole  cannot  be  dug  beneath 
an  alien.  Once  an  alien  has  fallen 
into  a  hole  it  is  filled  immediately 
and  the  game  continues. 

Even  after  playing  for  more  than 
an  hour  at  the  amateur  level,  no-one 
at  Timex  Sinclair  User  managed  to 
score  more  than  1,300* 
(T/S1000.ZX81  16K) 


38 


TIMEX  SINCLAIR  USER  June  2983 


1  LET  BEST  = 0 

2  PRINT  "SKILL  LEVEL?  <A/P>" 

3  INPUT  At 
5  CLS 


10 

LET  SG=2 

15 

LET  S=0 

20 

PRINT  . HOLED  UP" 11 

>i 

21 

PRINT  AT  14,15| "LEVEL * " J A* 

22 

PRINT  AT  16, 10! "HIGH  SCORE!  " f BEST 

23 

PRINT  AT  18,0!" 

YOUR  SCORE  # " ! S 

30 

PRINT  AT  20,0!" 

SPARE  MEN!"! SO 

40 

LET  X-17 

50 

LET  Y=Q 

60 

LET  A=17 

70 

LET  B=B 

80 

LET  U=2l 

90 

LET  V"=4 

100 

LET  G“ 1 

110 

LET  HX-15 

120 

LET  HY=0 

130 

LET  C*17 

140 

LET  D"=4 

150 

LET  E=I9 

160 

LET  F=2 

165 

LET  GG= 1 9 

170 

LET  HM=6 

195 

PRINT  AT  U ,V;"*" 

200 

PRINT  AT  X,  Y  ,  " t" 

210 

PRINT  AT  A ,  B  !  "  *  " 

220 

PRINT  AT  C,D;"X" 

230 

PRINT  AT  E , F i " X" 

240 

PRINT  AT  GG,HH!"X" 

300 

LET  0=141 

305 

LET  M=X 

310 

LET  N“Y 

320 

GOSUB  2000 

322 

LET  FN345 

325 

GOTO  6000 

335 

LET  X-M 

340 

LET  Y^N 

345 

PRINT  AT  X*  Y } 

347 

CDSUEi  24  3  0 

350 

LET  ii^A 

360 

LET  N=B 

370 

GOSUB  2000 

375 

LET  W=4 1 0 

380 

GOTO  6000 

400 

LET  B=N 

405 

LET  A“H 

410 

PRINT  AT  A , B i " *" 

415 

GOSUB  2430 

417 

LET  Q= 189 

42  0 

LET  H“C 

440 

LET  N=D 

460 

GOSUB  2000 

47  0 

LET  H  =  5 1  0 

475 

GOTO  6000 

500 

LET  D’=N 

505 

LET  C=H 

510 

PRINT  AT  C  ,D , "X " 

515 

GOSUB  2430 

520 

LET  H=E 

54  0 

LET  N^F 

560 

GOSUB  2000 

570 

LET  H=6 1 0 

580 

GOTO  6000 

600 

LET  F=N 

605 

LET  E=n 

610 

PRINT  AT  E,F!MX‘* 

615 

GOSUB  2430 

620 

LET  H“GG 

640 

LET  N=HH 

660 

GOSUB  2000 

670 

LET  H-7 1 0 

680 

GOTO  6000 

700 

LET  HH=N 

705 

LET  GG=h 

710 

PRINT  AT  GG,HH!"X" 

720 

GOSUB  2430 

770 

GOTO  300 

2B03 

IF  INKEYS*”  1 11  THEN 

LET  G=i 

20  0  4 

IF  IN  KEY  *=="2"  THEN 

LET  G=2 

2005 

LET  ft=RND 

2010 

LET  Z=RNC) 

2020  PRINT  AT  rt,N!"  11 

2090  IF  H=18  OR  M=2Q  OR  N^V  AND  A*^"P"  AND 

( N=0  OR  N“2  OR  N=4  OR  N=6  OR  N^8)  THEN  GOTO  212C 
2100  IF  R  <=  *5  OR  M=U  OR  N=l  OR  N*3  OR  N=5  OR  N=7 
THEN  GOTO  2300 

2120  IF  M™2 1  OR  U<H  AND  A*="P"  THEN  LET  Z=.7 

2122  IF  M  =  17  OR  U>M  AND  A*=HPM  THEN  LET  Z  =  *5 

2125  IF  Z  <=  ,5  THEN  LET  M=*H+l 
2140  IF  Z>,5  THEN  LET  h-M-1 
2160  GOTO  2340 

2300  IF  N^0  OR  N<V  THEN  LET  Z^.5 

2305  IF  N=*B  OR  N>V  THEN  LET  Z=,7 

2310  IF  I  <*  ,5  THEN  LET  N=N+i 
2320  IF  2>*5  AND  N>0  THEN  LET  N -N  1 
234  0  IF  M=U  AND  N=V  THEN  GOTO  7000 
2400  IF  INKEY$="2"  THEN  LET  G=2 
241(1  IF  INKEY*  1"  THEN  LET  G  =  1 
2420  RETURN 

2430  IF  INKEY *  <>  "5"  AND  INKEY $  <>  "6"  AND  INKEY*  <>  "7" 
AND  INKEY  $  <>  "El"  THEN  RETURN 
244  0  IF  G“2  THEN  GOTO  2590 
2450  PRINT  AT  U,V;"  " 

2520  IF  INKEY $-"5"  AND  V>0  AND  (U^17  OR  U=19  OR  U=21) 

THEN  LET  V=V“1 

254  0  IF  INKEYf z?i,8"  AND  V<8  AND  (U  =  17  OR  U=19  OR  U  =  21)  THEN 
LET  V=V+1 

2560  IF  INKEY**"6"  AND  U<21  AND  (V=0  PR  V=2  OR  V-4  UR  V=6 
OR  V=8>  THEN  LET  U=U+1 

2500  IF  INKEY*  ="7"  AND  IJ:  17  AND  <V  =  Q  UR  V=*2  OR  V  =  4  PR  U=6 
OR  V“8 )  THEN  LET  U=U-  1 
25B5  GOTO  3005 
2590  PRINT  AT  HX#  MY  J 11  11 

2597  IF  INKEY*  =  ,f5"  AND  V>0  AND  (U»21  OR  U=19  OR  U-17J  THEN 
GOTO  2700 

2600  IF  INKEY* -"8 "  AND  V<8  AND  (U=2L  OR  U-U9  OR  U^17)  THEN 
GOTO  2750 

262  0  IF  INKEY*  ="6"  AND  U<21  AND  (V-0  OR  V=2  OR  V=4  OR  V=6 
OR  V”B )  THEN  GOTO  2800 

2640  IF  INKE Y*-"7"  AND  U>17  AND  CV=Q  OR  V=2  UR  V  =  4  OR  V=6 
OR  V“=0)  THEN  GOTO  2850 
2660  GOTO  3005 
2700  LET  HX“U 
2710  LET  HY-V-1 
2720  GOTO  3000 
2750  LET  HX”U 
276!)  LET  HY-V+1 
2770  GOTO  3000 
280  0  LET  HX-UU 
2310  LET  HY=V 
2820  GOTO  3000 
285  0  LET  HX“:U  1 
2860  LET  HY“V 

30  0  0  IF  HX-X  AND  M Y - Y  OR  HX=A  AND  HY=B  OR  HX=C  AND  IIY  =  D  OR 
HX-=E  AND  HY=F  OR  HX“GG  AND  HY=HH  THEN  LET  HX=15 
3003  IF  HX  <>  15  THEN  PRINT  AT  HX*HY;M0M 

3020  IF  HX=U  AND  HY=V  OR  U=X  AND  V  =  Y  OR  U  =  A  AND  V=B  OR  U^=C 
AND  V=D  OR  U*E  AND  V=l  OR  U=GG  AND  Vs  Mil!  THEN  GOTO  70  0  0 
3030  PRINT  AT  U,V!"*" 

3040  RETURN 

60  0  fl  IF  M=X  AND  N-Y  OR  M--A  AND  N-G  UR  M  -G  AND  N=D  OR  H-E 
AND  NSF  OR  M“GG  AND  N  =HH  THEN  GOTO  W 
6005  IF  H-HX  AND  N=HY  THEN  GOTO  6020 
6010  GOTO  W-10 

6020  IF  0=141  THEN  LET  S*S+100 

6035  LET  S=S+100 

6040  PRINT  AT  n,NfCHR*  G 

60  44  IF  S/30  0  0  " INT  (S/30  00)  UR 

(S-10  0)/30  00=INT<  (S-100  )/:i(IOin  THEN  LET  SO=SQ>l 
6045  PRINT  AT  1B,21?S 
6047  PRINT  AT  20,21!SO 
6050  LET  HX=1 5 
6060  GOTO  W-10 
7000  PRINT  AT  U*V!"*" 

7010  LET  SQ=S01 
7030  PAUSE  100 

7032  IF  SO—1  THEN  GOTO  8000 

7035  CLS 

7040  GOTO  20 

8000  FOR  N-:0  TO  21 

8010  SCROLL 

8020  NEXT  N 

0030  IF  S>BEST  THEN  LET  BEST*S 

8040  PRINT  AT  0,0; "CAME  OVER ,  ALL  YOUR  MEN  ARE  DEAD" 

B(!50  GOTO  2 


39 


TIMEX  SINCLAIR  USER  June  19B3 


THE  FIRST  question  often  ask¬ 
ed  about  a  new  machine  is 
"Does  it  play  Space  Invaders?" 
Though  a  IK  machine  has  con¬ 
siderable  difficulty  getting 
anywhere  Computer  Combat  using 
only  IK,  is  a  type  of  mini  Space  In¬ 
vaders  but  with  only  one  invader 
and  one  base  and  a  much  slower 
rate  of  firing. 

The  object  of  the  game  is  to  hit 
the  invader  as  many  times  as  possi¬ 
ble  before  it  lands  or  you  run  out  of 
missiles.  Twenty-five  missiles  nor¬ 
mally  are  given  but  that  can  be 
altered  by  changing  the  value  of  B 
in  line  5, 

You  receive  five  points  for  hit¬ 
ting  it  but  lose  one  if  you  miss.  Use 
keys  5  and  8  to  move  left  and  right 
respectively  and  key  0  to  fire.  The 
invaders'  missiles  are  shown  as 
asterisks  and  yours  as  crosses.  The 
program  is  good  for  beginners,  as  it 
is  easy  to  understand  the  function 
of  each  line  as  there  are  none  of  the 
usual  POKE  and  PEEK  or  other 
complicated  functions. 

If  you  want  to  get  more  memory, 
enter  in  direct  mode  the  following 
be/ore  entering  the  program:  POKE 
16389,68  followed  by  ENTER  NEW 
followed  by  ENTER, 

The  program  will  run  con¬ 
tinuously  until  the  BREAK  key  is 
used. 

Computer  Combat  was  sent  in  by 
15-year-old  Anthony  Wells, 
(T/S1000,ZX81  16KJ 


5 

LET  B-UAL  "25" 

10 

LET  S*PI--PI 

15 

LET  M»F‘I--PI 

20 

LET  X-UAL  "16" 

25 

LET  Y^PX-PI 

30 

LEI  i1=M-»2 

35 

If  M>UALL  "20"  THEN  GOTO  UAL  " 

10  0" 

40 

CLS 

45 

LET  R-INT  <EN3*5> 

50 

IF  R=-3  THEN  GQSUB  155 

55 

PRINT  AT  M,YJ  "  VW1  " 

60 

LET  Y-Y  +  UAL.  "2" 

65 

IF  Y-UAL  "30"  THEN  GOTO  25 

70 

PRINT  AT  21 ,X;"  *  " 

-r  tr 

/ 

LET  X=X+( INKEY *="8" > *3 -(INKEY* 

="5") *3 

80 

IF  INKEYt=”0"  THEN  COSUB  115 

IF  B  <=  UAL  "0"  THEN  GOTO  UAL 

"10  0" 

95 

GOTO  UAL  "40" 

100 

PRINT  AT  12,101 "SCORE”" 1 S 

1  05 

PAUSE  UAL  "300" 

110 

RUN 

115 

PRINT  AT 

120 

IF  X+l  <>  Y  THEN  LET  S»S-1 

125 

IF  X-H=Y  THEN  PRINT  AT  M,X~11" 

130 

IF  X+1-:Y  THEN  LET  E-S+5 

135 

LET  B=B-UAL  "1" 

140 

RETURN 

145 

PAUSE  UAL  "50" 

150 

GOTO  UAL  "40" 

155 

PRINT  AT  21 , Y i CHR*  23 

160 

IF  X--Y  THEN  GQSUB  UAL  "170" 

165 

RETURN 

170 

PRINT  AT  2 1,Y ;"<*>" 

175 

PAUSE  UAL  "40" 

180 

LET  S“S“UAL  "5" 

185 

RETURN 

40 


TIMEX  SINCLAIR  USER  June  1983 


Join  the 
CLICK ! 

Enter  your  programs  Faster  &  Easier 
with  the  E-Z  Keyboard  . . . 

At  last,  a  large  60  key  "Tactile  Feel” 
keyboard  that  plugs  into  the  same 
connectors  as  the  existing  keyboard 
onyourZX81  oryourTimex-Sinclair 
1000. 

Hear  the  CLICK  and  feel  a  SNAP  for  every 
key  pressed!  (Tactile  Feedback). 


Only 


E-Z  Key  60  has  the  following  features: 

-  60  Keys  -  Legends  in  3  colors  on  the  base 
■  Molded  legends  on  key  tops 

-  8  Automatic  shift  keys  (no  shifting  required) 
for  edit,  delite,  single  and  double  quotes, colon, 
semi-colon,  function  and  stop. 

-  2  Shift  keys  -  Numeric  key  pad  -  5"  space  bar. 
E-Z  Key  60  requires  no  wiring  (just  plug  it  in) 
and  can  be  adapted  to  fit  the  XZ80  or  the 
MicroAce  (8  KROM).  The  Mounting  base 
measures  10"x4".  Cables  and  instructions  are 
included. 


S8495 

A  custom  made  enclosure  (shown  above)  is 
also  available  for  your  computer  and  E-Z  Key 
60  keyboard. 

Measurements:  Price: 

EC-11  11"x9"x3'' .  $25.00 

EC-14  14"x9"x3’'  . .  $30.00 

WATCH  FOR  THESE  NEW  PRODUCTS! 

JOYSTICK:  Joystick  kit  that  requires  nowirinq 
and  will  fuction  like  the  arrow  keys  on  your 
computer 

E-Z  Key  40  Replacement  flat  keyboard  with 
erobosmg  around  each  switch  and  3  color  legends 
and  graphics  as  existing  keyboard  (pluq  in 
replacement)*  y 


SWITCH  SPECIFICATIONS: 

Key  tops  measure  A"  x.  .3"  -  spaced  at 
intervals  between  keys.  Lite  -  10 
million  operations,  typical.  Force  *  3 
02  Travel  -  040r .  Dameswilch.  button 
type  wilh  arm  1o  give  ,040”  travel 


90  day  warranty 


USE  THIS  ORDER  FORM... 


E-Z  HEY 

SUITE  75  A,  711  SOUTHERN  ARTERY 
QUINCY,  MASSACHUSETTS  02169 
(617)  773-1187 


E-Z  Key  60 

EC-1 1/14 


m  □  Check  or 

■  Money  Order 

Charge  to  my: 

□  Visa  □  Mastercard 

■  Card  # 

Expires 

■  Send  to: 

!  E-Z  KEY 

■  Suite  75  A 

■:  711  Southern  Artery 
Quincy,  MA  02169 


Quantity 


Unit  Price 

*64  95 


S25/S3Q 

Total  units  5AH  $4  per  unit 


Mass,  res  add  S%  sales  tax 


Total 


Toiei 


Signature  . 


Name 


.  State  __ 


TIMEX  SINCLAIR  USER  /tine  1983 


For  more  information,  circle  9  on  Reader  Service  Card. 


41 


F 


-finis. £b'/>S  \ 


Who  says  that  graphics 


All  you  need  to 
start  is  a  simple 
understanding 
of  the  PLOT 
command,  says 
professor 
and  author 
Michael  K.  Barnett 
in  this  exclusive 
interview 


Can  you  tell  us  some  of  the  com¬ 
puters  that  you  use  /or  computer 
graphics? 

These  include  some  very  large 
IBM  machines  like  370s,  3033s  and 
3081s,  some  personal  computers 
like  the  Apple,  and  the  Timex 
Sinclair  1000  home  computer. 

Does  it  make  sense  to  use  a 
TIS1000, ZX&l  when  you  can  use 
these  larger  machines? 

Yes  —  a  lot  of  sense.  The  T/S1000 
and  the  large  IBM  machines  are  at 
opposite  ends  of  what  many  people 
see  as  a  unified  scheme  —  for 
teaching  and  learning  what  com¬ 
puter  graphics  can  be  used  to  con¬ 
vey. 

What  are  the  limitations  of 
TISlOOO  graphics  and  how  do  they 
affect  the  fields  where  T/S  graphics 
will  be  used? 

The  limitations  are  the  resolution 
that  it  can  provide  on  the  television 


screen,  the  amount  of  data  that  can 
be  stored  for  reference,  and  the 
speed  at  which  it  calculates. 
However,  I  don’t  see  these  locking 
the  T/S 1000  out  of  particular  fields 
where  graphics  are  useful;  within 
these  fields,  the  Timex  will  be  used 
where  low  resolution  is  adequate, 
perhaps  as  a  preliminary  to  using 
higher  quality  equipment. 

Where  do  you  think  Timex 
graphics  will  be  used? 

Education,  business,  research 
and  engineering,  and  entertain¬ 
ment,  for  a  start. 

How  will  it  be  used  in  education? 

Initially,  to  teach  programming 
and  computer  literacy,  to  help 
teach  math,  to  teach  people  how  to 
use  computer  graphics  in  their 
work;  as  time  goes  on,  in  chemistry 
and  other  sciences,  in  social 
sciences  and  in  educational  ad¬ 
ministration. 

How  can  it  be  used  to  teach  pro¬ 
gramming? 


Many  people  are  afraid  of  com¬ 
puters  because  they  are  afraid  of 
mathematics  and  formulas.  And 
most  people  do  not  have  ready  ac¬ 
cess  to  a  computer,  or  the  money  to 
spend  on  a  terminal  and  phone 
bills.  You  can  buy  a  T/S  1000  for  the 
price  of  a  couple  of  textbooks  or  a 
home  appliance,  and  work  with  it 
in  your  own  time  and  at  your  own 
pace  in  the  comfort  and  privacy  of 
your  home.  And  the  graphics  let 
you  start  using  commands  based  on 
the  simple  idea  of  using  squared 
paper  that  people  see  around  the 
house  in  patterns  for  knitting  and 
laying  tiles  and  so  on. 

You  mean  someone  can  get 
started  just  using  the  PLOT  com¬ 
mand? 

Sure.  After  PLOTting  a  few 
points  in  the  immediate  mode  to  get 
a  feel  for  the  numbering,  you  can 
write  simple  programs  with  FOR 
loops  to  draw  straight  lines  and 


42  TIMEX  SINCLAIR  USER  June  1983 


have  to  be  complicated? 


make  them  move.  For  example,  just 
type 

10  FOR  X  « 10  TO  50 
20  PLOT  X.20 
30  NEXT  X 

and  you  get  a  horizontal  line  about 
halfway  down  the  screen.  Change 
the  numbers  in  the  FOR  statement, 
keeping  between  0  and  63,  and  this 
changes  the  length  of  the  line. 
Change  the  Y  value  in  the  PLOT 
statement  from  20  to  any  other 
value  between  0  and  43  and  you 
change  the  height  of  the  line.  And 
to  get  a  vertical  line,  you  put  Y  in 
the  FOR  statement  instead  of  X, 
and  you  change  the  PLOT  state¬ 
ment  to  PLOT  20, Y  to  draw  the  line 
roughly  halfway  across  the  screen. 
What  about  sloping  lines? 

Easy.  Try 

10  FOR  N  =0  TO  40 
20  PLOT  N,N 
30  NEXT  N 

That  slopes  up  from  southwest  to 
northeast. 

And  to  get  it  to  slope  up  from 
southeast  to  northwest? 

Try 

10  FOR  N  =0  TO  40 
20  PLOT  63  -  N,N 
30  NEXT  N 

You  can  build  lots  of  patterns  using 
these  tactics.  Here  is  a  simple  ex¬ 
ample. 

How  many  lines  of  code  did  this 
take? 

This  does  it  in  20  lines: 


R  /I  «■  \  1%  I 

i  .•  i  jrm  i  %  i 
L"  L'UIIM  M 
L  k  IX  XI  J  J 
i%  I'jin'i  .*i 

i  %  i  -r-T  i  /  i 

I  M  k L* 1  I 

I  T"  ’ "  I  f 

I  V  d*  I 


T/S1000  graphics 
can  be  used 
anywhere  low 
resolution  is 
adequate 


10  FOR  K  =  1  TO  4 

20  FOR  X  =  32 - 2**K  TO  32  +  2**K 

30  PLOT  X,21-2**K 

40  PLOT  X,21  +  2**K 

50  NEXT  K 

60  FOR  Y  =  22-2**K  TO  20  +  2**K 
70  PLOT  32 - 2**K,Y 
80  PLOT  32  +  2**K,Y 
90  NEXT  Y 

100  FOR  X  =  33-2**K  TO  31 
110  PLOT  X,X-  11  +  2**K 
120  PLOT  X,53-X-2**K 
130  NEXT  X 

140  FOR  X  =  33  TO  32  +  2**K 

150  PLOT  X,53-X  +  2**K 

160  PLOT  X.X-  11  -  2**K 

170  NEXT  X 

180  NEXT  K 

190  POKE  16417,1 

200  COPY 

Perhaps  your  readers  can  shorten 
this  or  speed  it  up,  for  example  by 
calculating  2**K  just  once  in  each 
cycle. 

We’ll  ask  them.  Timex  graphics 
certainly  let  people  learn  about  coor¬ 
dinates  and  FOR  loops  very  quickly. 

Yes.  And  about  interactive 
design. 

I  thought  that  needed  very  expen¬ 
sive  equipment.  Isn’t  it  the  sort  of 
thing  that  car  manufacturers  do? 

Try  the  following  program.  It 
won’t  let  you  design  a  car,  but  it 
does  illustrate  the  basic  tactic  of  in¬ 
teractive  design. 

10  LET  B$  =  “ 

20  LET  B$-  B$  +  B$  +  B$  +  B$ 

30  PRINT  AT  0,0;  “XLO.XHI.Y:  “ 


40  INPUT  XLO 
50  INPUT  XHI 
60  INPUT  Y 

70  PRINT  XLO;  XHI;  Y 
80  FOR  X  =  XLO  TO  XHI 
90  PLOT  X,Y 
100  NEXT  X 

110  IF  INKEY$  <  >  THEN 
GOTO  110 

120  PRINT  AT  1,0;  “PRESS  K  TO 
KEEP,  E  TO  ERASE; 

130  IF  INKEYS  =  THEN  GOTO 
130 

140  LET  R$  =  INKEY$ 

150  PRINT  R$ 

160  GOTO  300*[R$  =  "K”)  +  200* 
(R$  =  “E”) 

170  PRINT  AT  1,0;  B$ 

180  GOTO  110 

200  FOR  X  =  XLO  TO  XHI 

210  UNPLOT  X,Y 

220  NEXT  X 

300  PRINT  AT  0,0;  B$;  B$ 

310  GOTO  30 

Statement  30  prompts  for  the 
values  of  X  at  the  ends  of  the  line 
you  want  the  program  to  draw,  and 
for  the  value  of  Y.  Statements  80  to 
100  draw  the  line.  Statement  110 


You  can  learn 
basic  principles 
of  animation  on 
your  T/S1000,ZX81 


waits  if  you  still  are  pressing  any 
keys.  Statement  120  prompts  you  to 
show  whether  you  want  to  keep  the 
line  or  to  change  your  mind  —  this 
is  what  makes  it  interactive, 
Statements  200  to  220  erase  the  line 
if  you  request  this.  Then  the  cycle 
begins  all  over  again. 


%  / 
W 


*  \j\aai  woe  tjic  aujjit:  JiiCrjp 

to  expand  the  program,  to  promj 
the  user  to  type,  say,  D  for  a  dot.  j 
for  a  horizontal  line  and  V  for  a  ve 


43 


-ffitrfs. £fys  \ 


tical  line,  followed  by  the  coor¬ 
dinates  . . . 

Correct.  The  person  learning  can 
take  off  very  quickly,  varying  and 
expanding  the  prototype  programs 
for  graphics. 

Do  these  principles  of  graphics  ap¬ 
ply  to  larger  machines? 

Yes.  Using  the  T/S1000,  students 
and  architects  and  fashion 
designers  and  planners  can  get  a 
handle  on  writing  prompting  se¬ 
quences  at  home.  Then  if  they  want 
larger  or  higher  quality  graphics, 
they  can  go  to  bigger  machines  and 
program  these  themselves  or  tell 
the  programmers  what  to  do. 

Can  you  get  animation  effects  on 
the  T/S1000? 

Yes.  For  example,  patterns  move 


“We  vastly  under¬ 
utilize  the 
resources  at  our 
disposal” 


up  the  screen  by  SCRGLLing.  To 
see  this,  just  type: 

10  FOR  N  *  0  TO  63 
20  SCROLL 

30  PRINT  TAB  N;  44  ” 

40  NEXT  N 
50  GOTO  10 

This  seems  to  make  lines  of  little 
darts  shoot  up. 

I  suppose  if  you  turned  the  screen 
on  its  side  you  could  get  things  to 
SCROLL  sideways. 

I  would  not  recommend  that 
with  the  family  television  set. 

What  i/  you  want  to  draw  a  face 
with  an  eye  that  opens  and  shuts,  or 
a  caterpillar  wriggling  across  the 
screen? 

Easy.  Many  of  the  programs  in 
my  recent  book  Personal  Graphics 
for  Profit  and  Pleasure  on  the  Apple 

11  Plus  Computer  (with  Graham  K. 
Barnett;  Little,  Brown;  $14.50)  can 
be  adapted  to  the  T/S1000,ZXB1. 
“Winkface”  draws  a  face  and 
makes  one  eye  wink.  The  outline  of 
the  eye  is  drawn  first:  on  the  Timex 


you  just  use  PLOT  commands. 
Then  if  the  center  of  the  eye  is  at 
position  XC,YC  you  make  it  blink 
by  statements  like 

500  PLOT  XC,YC 
510  PAUSE  60 
520  UNPLOT  XC.YC 
530  PAUSE  60 
540  GOTO  500 

This  use  of  PLOT  to  draw  and 
UNPLOT  to  erase,  or  its  equivalent 
in  other  programming  languages,  is 
a  basic  tactic  of  animation.  Try  this 
ten-liner  and  meet  Grenville  the 
Graceful  Grub: 

10  FOR  N  =  0  TO  7  STEP  2 
20  PLOT  N,20 
30  PLOT  N  + 1,21 
40  NEXT  N 

50  FOR  M-0  TO  54  STEP  2 
60  UNPLOT  M,20 
70  PLOT  M  +  8,20 
80  UNPLOT  M  + 1,21 
90  PLOT  M  +  9,21 
100  NEXT  M 

He  wiggles  across  the  screen  from 
left  to  right.  And  you  can  vary  the 
program  easily  to  make  grubs  of  dif¬ 
ferent  lengths  and  shapes  wiggle  in 
different  directions. 

Here  is  a  very  different  type  of 
graphics  demonstration  —  a  very 
simple  bar  chart  program: 

10  LET  B$  =  " 

H 

20  PRINT  AT  0,0;"MAXIMUM 
VALUE: 

30  INPUT  MAXIMUM  VALUE 
40  PRINT  MAXIMUM  VALUE 
50  LET  Y  =  43 
55  PAUSE  60 

60  PRINT  AT  0,0;B$;AT  0,0;‘‘CAP- 
TION, VALUE: 


70  INPUT  C$ 

80  INPUT  VALUE 
90  PRINT  VALUE 

100  LET  Y  =  Y- 2 

110  IF  Y<  =  0  OR  VALUE>MAX- 
IMUM  VALUE  THEN  GOTO 
1000 

120  LET  R=  INT  (.5 +  50* VALUE 
/MAXIMUM  VALUE) 

130  FOR  X  =  1  TO  R 
140  PLOT  X,Y 
150  NEXT  X 

160  IF  LEN  C$>30-R/2  THEN 
LET  C$  =  C$(  TO  30-R/2) 

170  PRINT  “  VALUE;”)” 

180  GOTO  60 
1000  POKE  16417,1 
1010  PRINT  AT  0,0;  B$ 

1020  COPY 


It  prompts  for  the  maximum  value 
to  be  represented  horizontally. 
Then  it  prompts  for  the  captions  of 
the  bars  and  the  values  these  repre¬ 
sent.  It  draws  and  labels  the  bars 
and,  when  you  want  to  quit,  you 
just  press  ENTER,  type  a  number 
greater  than  the  maximum  value 
you  typed  originally,  and  press 
ENTER  again.  Here  is  an  example 
of  its  output: 


FI5H<  15) 
■■■  MEftT(10> 

"  MILK<20) 

.  EGGS<£55 

“  FRIJITC10) 
. 1111  OTHER  <£0> 


Most  of  the  examples  you  have 
given  are  charts  and  geometrical 
shapes  and  patterns.  Don’t  you  feel 
hampered  by  the  lack  of  pictorial 
realism? 

I  look  on  it  rather  as  a  challenge 
to  find  what  can  be  conveyed 
without  so-called  realism.  I  think 
that  a  very  sad  aspect  of  high 
technology  in  general  is  that  we 
vastly  under- utilize  the  hardware, 
software,  mathematics  and  very 
sophisticated  techniques  at  our 
disposal.  Part  of  the  problem  is  that 
we  haven’t  learned  how  to  make 
the  most  of  simple  resources. 

Do  you  think  the  smallness  of 
machines  like  the  T/SiOOO  will 
stimulate  new  research? 

Yes.  0/  0 


TIMEX  SINCLAIR  USER  June  1903 


THE  IIIIIIU  UIHKE  LINE  OF  SOFTWARE 
FOR  TIMEX/SINCLAIR  COMPUTERS 


MATRIX 

PLANNER 

An  all-purpose 

electronic 

spreadsheet 

$22-95 


THE  FAST  ONE 

Stare.  organize 
and  retrieve 
data  instantly 

$24.95 


Z-TEIT 

A  useful  word 

processing 

program 

$1195 


INVENTORY 

CONTROL 

Two  ways  to 
keep  track  of 
inventories 

$2295 


— 

n« 

Sis 

"LIT 

m 

5?^ 

FORECASTING 

GRAPHS 

Analyzes 
growth 
trends  and 
plots  graphs 

$22.95 


SLIDE  SHOW 

Creates  and 
runs  video 
display  shows 

$22.95 


* 


MONITOR 

Tests  and 
debugs 
programs  in 
machine  code 

$1995 


GULP 

Gobble  your 
way  through 
mazes,  chased 
by  ogres 

$15.95 


LABYRINTH 

Can  you  find 
your  way 
through 
3-0  corridors? 

$15.95 


PILOT 

Cockpit 
controls 
that  teach  you 
how  to 
navigate 
$19.95 


GRAPHIC  GOLF 

A  challenging 
18-hole 
golf  course 

$9.95 


1^0 


CROSSWORD 

Create  and  play 
your  own 
crosswords 

$15.95 


x*v£&i 


CRITICAL 

PATH 

Gets  complex 
scheduling 
under  control 

$19.95 


Solves  math 
formulas  and 
draws  graphs 

$24.95 


Try  to  put  the 

scrambled 

words 

back  in  order 

315.95 


WOOD  TEST 

All  kinds  of 
question  and 
answer  tests 

$15.95 


A 

TOOLKIT 

Shortcut 
commands  tor 
programmers 

$19.95 


4*^ 

e£>'- 


MULTIPLE 

CHOICE 

Can  you  pick 
the  correct 
answer? 

$15.95 


\ 

v 


SCREEN  KIT 

Routines  to 
enhance 
screen 
displays 

$1995 


*•  +  • 


COSMOS 

Hyperspace 
laser  battles 
among  the 
stars' 

$15.95 


FAST  LOADING  Mindware’s  proprietary 
Quickload  ’  feature  lets  you  toad 
programs  up  to  four  times  faster 
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programs.  Quickload  software  also 
alerts  you  to  misleads,  and  lets  you 
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the  beginning. 


QUALITY  TITLES  Mindware  software  is 
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•  ISER- FRIENDLY  Documentation  provides 
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(All  programs  require  16K) 


*  f,f g/ 

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ability  to  make  hard  copies 
of  programs,  data*  mailing 
lists,  and  screen 
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SPECIAL  OFFER:  Order  a  MW-1 00  printer  for  $1 1 9.00 
and  get  your  choice  of  any  two  Mindware  software  titles 
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Thousands  of  MW-1  OO's  have  sold  nationally  at  a  retail  price  of 
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THE  ONLY  PLAIN  PAPER.  DOT-MATRIX 
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ToraU— e nd osed  is  Q  check  O  money  order 
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Number  _ _ 


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Volume  discounts 
available  to  dealers 
and  schools. 

Send  more  info  on: 

□  Quickload  software 

□  MW-100  printer. 


SEND  TO:  Eagle  Sales  Co./TS 

15  Tech  Circle  Natick,  MA  01760 
(617)  655-3368 

For  more  in/ormation*  circle  16  on  reader  service  card . 


TIMEX  SINCLAIR  USER  June  1963 


45 


Th 


Build  your  own  EPROM 
blower  without  blowing  a 

fortune 


BECAUSE  most  users  of  the 
T/S100Q,ZX81  are  software* 
orientated,  the  hardware  has 
been  made  simple  in  this  design. 
The  software  needed  to  run  it  con¬ 
sequently  will  be  large  and  some  of 
it  is  in  machine  code. 

The  heart  of  the  design  is  the 
8255  programmable  peripheral  in¬ 
terface  device.  This  chip  has  24 
lines  of  input  or  output,  which  can 
be  defined  by  software.  There  are 
only  sufficient  to  handle  the  2532 
EPROM.  Port  A  is  used  to  output 
the  eight  least  significant  bits  and 
port  C  for  the  remaining  address 
bits  and  control  bits.  Table  one 
shows  which  functions  port  C  has 
for  each  of  the  two  types  of 
EPROM,  The  design  caters  for  the 
2516  and  2432  EPROMs  from 
Texas  Instruments.  The  50ms  pro¬ 
gramming  pulse  is  timed  by  the 
hardware  and  PC4  output  must 
return  to  0  before  50ms  has  gone 
by. 

A  simple  program  is  included  to 
enable  the  programming  of  the 
EPROM.  The  machine  code  routine 
in  the  first  REM  statement  will  pro¬ 
gram  one  memory  location  and 
read  that  memory  location.  The 
Basic  will  call  the  routine  as  re¬ 
quired.  The  reason  machine  code  is 
required  is  because  the  8255  chip  is 
placed  in  the  I/O  map  of  the  Z-80  so 
that  the  memory  map  is  left  alone. 
In  the  T/S100Q,ZX81  the  PEEK  and 
POKE  commands  access  only  the 
memory  map.  As  Sinclair  has  not 
fully  decoded  the  I/O  map  it  was 
difficult  finding  somewhere  where 
the  8255  was  not  affected  by  the 
T/S100Q,ZX81, 

Another  reason  for  leaving  the 
memory  map  alone  is  so  that 
EPROMs  can  be  placed  above  the 
8K  ROM.  These  could  contain 
routines  to  improve  the  8K  Basic. 
Anyone  building  it  is  also  advised 
to  acquire  a  data  sheet  on  the  8255, 
as  the  chip  is  very  complex. 


Stephen  Churchman 
details  how  to  expand 
the  storage  available  for 
programs  using 
inexpensive 
components 

Referring  to  the  circuit  diagrams, 
two  Nand  gates  have  been  used  and 
three  Or  gates  to  drive  the  chip 
select  pin.  CS  will  go  low  only 
when  AO,  Al,  A2,  A3  are  logic  1 
and  A7,  IORQ  are  logic  0.  That 
places  the  8255  at  1FH,  3FH,  5FH, 
and  7FH.  The  other  two  Nand  gates 
ensure  that  the  8255  and  50ms 
timer  are  re-set  when  power  is  ap¬ 
plied. 

The  only  difference  between  the 
2516  and  2532  EPROMs  are  two 
pins  and  that  is  why  a  switch  has 
been  included.  When  programming 
the  2532,  the  programming  voltage 
must  be  switched  from  5V  to  26V 
and  back  to  5V  either  side  of  the 
programming  pulse.  With  the  2516 
it  may  be  left  at  26V  to  verify  the 


EPROM  contents.  The  26V 
regulator  can  be  switched  to  5V  by 
the  PG7  output  going  high, 
switching-on  the  BC108  and  plac¬ 
ing  a  5V  zener  across  the  24V 
zener. 

The  power  supply  is  standard, 
using  a  single  transformer  and  half¬ 
wave  rectification  for  the  5 V  supply 
and  voltage  doubling  for  the  26V 
supply.  It  is  best  to  make  sure  that 
the  transformer  you  buy  has  two  9V 
windings  in  series  aiding.  The 
50ms  timer  uses  a  74123  TTL  chip 
—  only  one  half  is  being  used.  The 
diode  And  gate  is  needed  as  pin  20 
of  a  2532  needs  to  be  low  when 
reading  (C5)  and  low  for  50ms 
when  programming. 

The  prototype  is  constructed  on 
two  pieces  of  Veroboardi  the  PSU 
on  0.1 5in,  matrix  and  the  main 
components  on  a  piece  of  VQ 
board.  It  is  wired  with  Verowire, 
which  is  ideal  for  a  prototype,  as 
modifications  are  easy  to  imple¬ 
ment.  The  final  board  is  somewhat 
cluttered  because  an  extra  chip  had 
to  be  added  at  a  later  stage  to  help 
with  the  decoding  of  the  CS  line. 
The  transformer  is  bolted  to  the 
base  of  the  case  and  a  cassette-type 
mains  plug  and  socket  on  the  case. 

The  power  transistor  (BD235) 


Figure  1:  Driver  circuit 


BD235 


26v 


46 


Figure  2;  EPROM  blower  outside  its  case 

Figure  3:  P.S.U*  diagram 


Figure  4:  Components 


of  small 
board 


and  voltage  regulator  do  not  need 
heat-sinks  as  they  pass  fairly  small 
currents.  The  two  boards  are  fixed 
on  top  of  each  other,  with  the 
EPROM  socket  emerging  through  a 
hole  in  the  top  cover  of  the  box.  The 
switch  is  mounted  next  to  the 
EPROM  socket. 


With  a  REM  statement  on  the 
first  line  of  a  program,  the  first 
character  is  at  memory  location 
16514  decimal.  The  first  four  loca¬ 
tions  are  used  to  hold  data  for  the 
machine  code  program,  the 
machine  code  sub-routine  starting 
at  16518, 


16514  —  BYTE  FOR  PORT  B 

16515  —  BYTE  FOR  PORT  C 

16516  —  BYTE  FOR  PORT  A 

16517  -  READ  FROM  PORT 
A  —  used  for  verification. 


Within  the  program,  register  F 
holds  the  byte  for  Port  Ct  anc 


'omcs 


ZX  KEYBOARD  FOR  USE  WITH  80/81  SPECTRUM 


Our  new  cased  keyboard  has  5 2  keys,  12  of  these  are  used  for  the  numeric  pad  The  numeric  pad  offers  some  useful  features,  you  can  cursor  with 
one  hand  and  it  wifi  be  a  boon  for  anyone  who  enters  a  lot  of  numeral  data .  The  pad  is  a  repeat  of  the  I  -9  keys  plus  it  has  a  full  stop  and  a  shift  key.  The 
numeric  pad  keys  are  coloured  in  red.  the  normal  keyboard  keys  are  grey,  with  the  case  being  black  which  makes  the  whole  thing  very  attractive  The 
case  measures  \S  x  9  x  7Vi  The  computer  (either  80/81  or  spectrum)  fits  neatly  inside.  You  will  have  to  remove  the  computer  from  its  original  case,  it  is 
then  screwed  to  the  base  of  the  case  The  case  had  all  the  bosses  already  fitted  and  the  screw  holes  are  marked  Also  fitted  inside  the  case  is  a  mother 
board  (81  model  only)  which  allows  I6K.  32K  and  64K  to  be  fitted  in  the  case  All  the  connections  are  at  the  rear  of  the  case  i.e.  Power,  Mic,  Ear,  T  V 
and  the  expansion  port  The  case  is  large  enough  for  other  add  ons  also 
to  be  fined  inside  One  of  these  could  be  the  power  supply,  then  you 
could  very  quickly  fit  a  mams  switch,  or  a  switch  on  the  9V  fine  This 
means  you  have  a  very  smart  self-contained  unit  This  case  does  not 
stop  you  from  using  any  other  add-ons  that  you  may  have  e  g  Printer 
etc  We  are  convinced  that  this  is  the  best  keyboard  available  at 
present  It  offers  more  keys  and  features  than  any  other  keyboard  in  its 
price  range 


SPECTR 

16 K  Memory  E*a 

The  I6K  uses  4  Up; 
Static  Ram  and  oeJl 
using  the  Static  J?T* 
speed  low  power^i 
the  computer, 
which  comes  to  ju 
where  Position  ii*t 

64K  Memory 

AJf  the  above  inf^ 
advantage  lies  in 
56  K  of  usable  me*} 
the  use  of  other  ^ 
8192-65536  The  & 
Spectrum  Mem<Y 
Upgrade  your  Sp£ri 
it  is  simply  slipped15 
are  supplied,  and^ 
time.  The  fitting  rjL 
same  as  Sinclair's^ 


NOTE 

The  case  can  be  purchased  separately  with  the  keyboard  aperture 
uncut,  so  rf  you  have  one  of  our  early  uncased  keyboards,  or  m  fact  any 
other  suppliers'  keyboards,  these  could  be  fitted  The  keyboard  is 
connected  to  your  computer  by  a  ribbon  cable  and  this  has  connectors 
fitted  which  simply  push  into  the  Sinclair  connectors  It  is  a  simple  two 
minute  job  and  requires  no  electronic  skills  This  keyboard  does  not 
need  any  soldering  Please  specify  on  order  whether  you  require  the  ZX 
81  or  Spectrum  case 


SPECTRUM  MODEL 


SPECTRUM  LIGHT  PEN 


This  is  supplied  with  spectrum  legends,  and  a  slightly  different  base 
for  fitting  the  spectrum  msjde.  again  all  the  connectors  are  at  the  rear  of 
the  case  and  there  is  plenty  of  room  for  the  power  supply  (and  other 
add-ons)  Should  you  want  to  change,  we  can  supply  both  the 
Spectrum  legends  and  details  of  updating  your  case  which  will  enable 
modification  from  the  ZX  81  to  spectrum  PLEASE  specify  on  your  order 
whether  you  require  the  ZX  81  ex  spectrum  case 


KEYBOARD 
(SPECTRUM/81 ) 


The  pen  enables 
you  to  produce  high 
resolution  drawings 
on  your  own  televi¬ 
sion  set.  saving  a  vast 
amount  of  time  over 
using  basic  program¬ 
ming  statements,  such 
as  Plot,  Draw  etc.  You 
can  erase,  modify  and 
save  drawings  and  it 
comes  complete  with 
software  program 
The  superb  fight  pen  is 
available  from  D  K 
tronics. 


$49.95 


*  ,,rXZVta’..  • 

i-^-i 

1 1  il  Ill'll  Li  r1 

. 

Internal  fixing  for 
ZX  81  keyboard  case. 


r  -  ■  i 

in  niimimin  *  i 

i  <  i 

i  ""  i 

L.  .  J 

-T  iira 

Internal  fixing  for 
spectrum  keyboard 

case. 

4a 


TIMEX  SINCLAIR  USER  /une  1983 


SPECTRUM/81  TOOLKIT 


This  is  the  toolkit  which  won  acclaim  in  the  feature  in  the  August 
1982  issue  (pages  29  and  30)  of  Sinclair  User  "ft  is  the  most  impressive 
program,  fast  in  execution  with  clear  and  full  instructions  ,  it  stands  out 
from  the  rest  of  the  field. "  The  ZXED  is  a  powerful  editor  for  use  on  the 
expanded  ZX81 .  ft  is  intended  for  use  by  the  serious  BASIC  programmer 
and  offers  several  useful  and  time  saving  features  most  helpful  during  all 
stages  of  program  development.  The  facilities  provided  are  as  follows 
ALTER,  BYTES,  COPY,  DELETE,  FIND,  HELP,  INSERT,  KEEP,  MOVE. 
RENUMBER  AND  VERIFY  The  Spectrum  Toolkit  contains  most  of  the 
features  above  plus  autofme  numberer  and  append,  and  will  run  in  the 
16K  and  48K  spectrum. 

Both  at 


only  $12.95 


FLEXIBLE 

RIBBON 

CONNECTOR 

ff  you  have  ever  had  whiteouts 
or  system  crashes  this  could  be 
the  answer.  It  stops  the  move¬ 
ment  between  the  computer  and 
the  RAM  expansion,  it  is  supplied 
with  a  ribbon,  6  inches  long,  witfi 
a  male  connector  at  one  end  and 
a  female  at  the  other,  at  only 

$35.95 


4K  GRAPHICS  ROM  $44. 95 

The  DK  Graphic  module  is  our  latest  ZX  81  accessory  This  module 
unlike  most  other  accessories  fits  neatly  inside  your  computer  under  the 
keyboard  The  module  comes  ready  built,  fully  tested  and  complete 
with  a  4K  graphic  ROM  Thrs  will  give  you  an  unbelievable  448  extra 
pre  programmed  graphics,  your  normal  graphic  set  contains  only  64 
This  means  that  you  now  have  512  graphics  and  with  their  inverse 
1024  This  now  turns  the  81  into  a  very  powerful  computer  with  a 
graphic  set  rarefy  found  on  larger  more  expensive  machines  In  the 
ROM  are  lower  case  letters,  bombs,  bullets,  rockets,  tanks,  a  complete 
set  of  invaders  graphics  and  that  only  accounts  for  about  50  of  them, 
there  are  still  about  400  left  (that  may  give  you  an  idea  as  to  the  scope  of 
the  new  ROM]  However,  the  module  does  not  finish  there,  it  also  has  a 
spare  holder  on  the  board  which  will  accept  a  further  4K  of  ROM/RAM 
Thrs  holder  can  be  fitted  with  a  JK/2K/RAM  and  can  be  used  for  user 
definable  graphics  so  you  can  create  your  own  custom  character  sets 

WHY  WATT? 

ORDER  TODAY  FOR  FAST  DELIVERY 


16K  Memory  $43  9S 
1(iK  juncAied;  fj JL« 
64W  Memory  ftJSOQ 
64K|uniaied|  f  112  QQ 


16/64  MEMORY 
FORZX81^H 


The  above  illustration  shows  the  casing  for  the  I6K  or  massive  64K 


I'UM  MEMORY 

t  mansion  $41.50 

b  Dynamic  Ram  Chips.  We  use  the  dynamic  as  they  are  much  denser  than 
:i  :upy  less  space.  They  are  also  much  cheaper  than  the  equivalent  product 
c  im.  The  Ram  is  manufactured  with  high  quality  materials,  and  uses  hrgh 
i  fams.  It  is  supplied  ready-built  and  only  needs  to  be  plugged  into  the  rear  of 
II  the  components  are  fitted  into  holders,  Thrs  massive  add-on  memory 
/  ou  full y  assembled  and  tested  is  the  cheapest  1 6K  memory  available  any* 
r  memory  from  16384  to  32768,  (Same  as  the  Sinclair  memory  ,) 

T6K  (UNCASED)  $35.95 

K  pension  $135.00 

z  rmation  on  the  I6K  also  applies  to  the  64K  Memory  Expansion,  but  the 
t  he  64 K  giving  nearly  FOUR  times  the  memory.  This  advanced  model  has 
r  nory.  In  addition,  the  block  from  8K  to  J6K  can  be  switched  out  to  enable 
h  Jdons.  The  graphics  ROM  is  to  be  used  in  this  area.  Positron  in  Memory. 
E  l*0Ck  From  8192-1 6384  is  switchable  64K  (UNCASED)$TJ2.00 

□  ry  Expansion  $54.00 

?  pum  to  48K  of  user  Ram.  The  Spectrum  memory  expansion  is  simple  to  fit, 
nside  the  case,  and  then  only  requires  plugging  in.  Full  fitting  instructions 
:he  only  tool  you  will  need  is  a  screwdriver  and  just  two  minutes  of  your 
e  quires  no  electronic  skills.  Position  in  memory  from  32768  to  65536,  (The 
i  jpgrade  to  48  KJ, 


|  Plrav  statf  type  of  macron*,  which  Rom  memory  we.  quantity  and  pi,Ke  when  ofdenng 

Pfease  send  me . . . @ 


Please  send  me . 


Please  send  me . .  _ _ _ _ 

Please  add  on  $  9,00  for  P/P 

In  enclose  cheque/P.G.  payable  to  DKTronics  total  E.  . . 

or  debit  my  Acte ss/Ba re iaycard  [_ 


Mastercard 


Signature  . 


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Tel:  { 0799 )  2203b  { trade  enquiries  please  telex  81653  attn.  DK) 


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TIMEX  SINCLAIR  USER  June  1983  For  more  information t  circle  19  on  reader  service  cord. 


|  iNci*  colour  brochure  now  JvtiUble,  send  1 1.00  tor  quick  return  _ j 

ion.  rirrlf*  on  render  servire  rrnrrf.  49 


register  that  for  port  B,  and  register 
B  that  for  port  A.  Register  C  con¬ 
tains  the  I/O  location  of  the  three 
ports  and  the  Control  Location. 
Register  DE  is  used  as  a  counter  to 
pause  for  longer  than  50ms  —  when 
following  the  machine  code 
routine,  it  is  useful  to  look  at  table 
one. 

The  timer  has  to  last  for  50ms,  so 
an  electrolytic  capacitor  is  used. 
Because  they  have  tolerances  bet¬ 
ween  plus  100  percent  or  minus  50 
percent  the  pre-set  is  made  very 
large  to  take  account  of  it.  If  elec¬ 
trolyses  are  used,  the  timer  should 
be  set  up  on  an  oscilloscope.  If  an 
oscilloscope  is  not  available,  tan¬ 
talum  capacitors  should  be  used  in¬ 
stead.  Alternatively,  it  is  possible  to 
feed  the  Q  output  temporarily  to  the 
port  A  input  —  any  will  do  —  and 
write  a  small  program  to  measure 
the  duration  of  the  output  pulse, 


Table  1 

2516.2K  by  8-bit 

EPROM  function 

Nothing 

Read  Program 

PCD 

A8 

—Standard 

Address  Inputs 

PCI 

A9 

—Standard 

Address  Inputs— 

PC2 

A10 

—Standard 

Address  Inputs— 

PC3 

Not  used 

PC4 

PD/PGM 

Low 

Low  Pulsed  high 

PCS 

Not  used 

— 

—  — 

PC6 

CS 

High 

Low  High 

PC7 

5v/26v 

High 

High  Low 

2352,4  K  by  8-bit 

EPROM  function 

Nothing 

Read  Program 

PCO 

AS 

—Standard 

Address  tnpu  ts— 

PCI 

A  9 

—Standard 

Address  Inputs— 

PC2 

A10 

—Standard 

Address  Inputs— 

PC3 

All 

—Standard 

Address  Inputs— 

PC4 

Pd/PGM 

Low 

Low  Pulsed  high 

PCS 

Not  used 

High 

Low  High 

PC6 

CS 

— 

—  — 

PC7 

5v/26v 

High 

High  Low 

Figure  5;  Detail  of  wiring 
on  small  board 


oooo 
ooooo 
o  o  o  o  o 
ooooo 
ooooo 

OOOOOI 

o  o  o 

O  OJ1 


OOGOOOOOOOOOOl 
OOOOOOOOOOOOOl 
OOOJOOOOOOOOOI 
OOOOOOOOOOOOOl 
OOOOOOOOOOl 
O  O  I 


OOOOO 

ooooo 
o  o  ^  o  c 
ooooo 
ooooo 
ooooo 
Aoooo 


oooo 

OOOO 

oooo 

OOOO 

oooo 

oooo 

OOOO 


O  O  O  O  O  O  I 
O  O  O  O  O  o  1 
O  O  O  O  D  O  < 
OOOOOOl 
OOOOOOl 
OOOOOOl 
OOOOOOl 


Figure  6:  Main  circuit  diagram 


ZJ£81  EDGE 
CONNECTOR 


+26 ¥ 


50 


Components 

1  x  INS8255 ( 1 C  1  > 

1  x  741  32  (1C  2) 

1  x  74LS32  MC  3) 

1  x  74LSOOOC4I 
1  x  7805  (IC5)  5v  I A  regulator 
1  x  BD235ITR  1) 

1  x  BC108CTR2) 

3  x  IN  4002 
1  xBZY88  24V  Zener 
1  x  BXY88  SVZener 
3  x IN4 1 48 

2x470  ^-F  63V  electrolytic 
1  x22G0/r-F  1 6V  electrolytic 
t  x  1 0*/-F  1 0V  electrolytic 
1  x  1  /j-F  63  V  tantalum 
3  xO.1  Polyester 
1  x  4  7  K  ohms  Preset  Resistor 
1  x  5K6  ohms  V2w  5%  Resistor 
1  x  4  K7  ohms  Vzw  5%  Resistor 
1  x  2X7  ohms  V?w  6%  Resistor 
1  x  2  pole  change-over  switch 
1  x  40  pm  DILsocket 
1  x  24  pm  zero  force  socket 
1  x  9-0-9V  1  amp  transformer 
1  xcase  1 6  cm.  x  1 0cm.  x  6cm. 

Veroboa  rd— VQ  boa  rd 
Verowire 

1 2in  ribbon  cable— 20-way 
Nuts  and  bolts 

Cassette-type  chassis  plug  and  free  socket 
Connecting  wire— single  plus  twin  mams 
23-way  double-edge  connector 
23-way  double  male-male  PCB 


10©  PRINT  L,UHPT  A0DRE55  IN  THE 
EPROMIB 


110  INPUT  V 

12©  REM  3  MSB  NEED  TO  BE  R  L0GI 
C  1 

130  LET  Y=rY+5^3^t-t 

14©  POKE  lb514 j Y-256+INT  (Y/aS6 

IS©  POKE  16515 jINT  fY/256) 

160  PRINT  "ENTER  NO  OF BYTES  TO 
BE  SENT" 

170  INPUT  R 
1S0  DIM  B  t R ) 

190  FOR  C^l  TO  R 
200  INPUT  B(C1 
210  PRINT  6(C) 

223  NEXT  C 
230  FOR  C=1  TO  R 
24-0  POKE  16516  ,  B  ( C  3 
25©  LET  5=U5R  1651© 

260  IF  PEEK  16516  OPEEK  16517  T 
HEN  GOTO  1000 
270  LET  Y  =Y +1 

2B0  POKE  165 14|Y —256* 1NT  CY^256 


230  POKE  16515  ^ I NT 


I T /dODl 


300  NEXT  C 
310  PRINT  "JOB  FINISHED,.  NO  ERR 
ORS  " 

320  PRINT  "DO  YOU  REQUIRE  TO  PR 
OGRRH  MORE  DRTR  IN" 

330  INPUT  Z* 

34.0  IF  Z*="Y"  THEN  GOTO  100 
3S0  STOP 

1000  PRINT  "ERROR  HRS  OCCURRED" 
1010  LET  Y  =Y  -5734.4 

£2INT  "ERROR  OCCURRED  RT '*  :  Y 
1030  PRINT  "DRTR  RERD  FROM  THIS 
LOCATION  15  " ; PEEK  16517 
104.0  STOP 


Figure  8:  Cut  track  on  back  of 
large  board 


Machine  Code  Table 

16514 

16516 


16518 

16520 

14127 

LDr,N 

LDR.N 
r-A.  N  -  80 

r- c,  N  - 7FH 

Conditions  the  ports  as  outputs 

16522 

237121 

QUT(C),r 

r  =  A 

Sets  up  H,  L  and  B. 

16524 

4213064 

LDHL.(nn) 

nn- 16514 

16527 

5813264 

LDA.(nn 

nn- 16516 

16530 

71 

LDr.r 

r  =  B;r-  A 

16531 

1495 

LDr.N 

r  =  C,N  *  5FH 

16533 

23797 

OUT(C).r 

r-H 

Outputs 

16535 

1463 

LDr.N 

r-C.N*3FH 

H  to  port  C 

16537 

237105 

OUT(C).r 

r-  L 

L  to  Port  B 

16539 

1431 

LDr.N 

r-C,N-HFH 

B  to  Port  A 

16541 

23765 

OUT(C),r 

r  ■  B 

06543 

1495 

LDr.N 

r*C,N  *  5PH 

16545 

203188 

Bit  7  Low 

Begins 

programming 
Cycle, 
r- 11 

16547 

203238 

SETb.r 

Bit  4  High 
r  =  H 

16549 

23797 

OUT(C),r 

r-H 

16551 

203164 

RESb.r 

Bit  4  Low 
r=  H 

Reconditions  Report  C  does 

16553 

23797 

GUT[C)>r 

r-H 

not  stop  74123  from  working. 

16555 

1700000 

LDdd.nn 

dd  =  DE.nn  =  00 

16558 

29 

DECm 

m  =  E 

16559 

32253 

]R  NZ.e 

e-1 

1  10ms  delay. 

16561 

21 

DECm 

m-  D 

16562 

32250 

JR  NZ.e 

e  =  4 

16564 

14127 

LDr.N 

r«C,N  -  7FH 

Reconditions  A  as  1/P. 

16566 

62144 

LDr.N 

r-A.N-90 

Reconditions  A  as  I/P. 

16568 

237121 

QUT(C).r 

r  =  A 

16570 

203180 

RESb.r 

Bit  6  Low 
r-H 

Reconditions  H  and 

16572 

1495 

LDr.N 

r-C.N  «  5FH 

sends  to  Port  C. 

16574 

23797 

OUT(C),r 

r-  ii 

16576 

1463 

LDr.N 

r-C.N  *  3FH 

Refills  Port  B. 

16578 

237105 

OUT[CJ.r 

r  =  1 

16580 

1431 

LDr.N 

r-C.N-lFH 

Read  EPROM. 

16582 

16584 

16587 

237120 

5013364 

201 

IN(C).r 

LDnn.A 

RET 

r-A 

Store  result  at  16517 

time  between  C4  going  low  and  Q 
.output  returning  low. 

The  software  has  been  tested  on 
a  2516  EPROM  and  programmed  a 
routine  successfully  into  it.  The 
software  for  a  2432  EPROM  will  be 
given  in  a  later  issue  of  the 
magazine,  By*e 


Figure  9:  Cutting  tracks 


Figure  10:  Cutting  hole  in  lid 


52 


TIMEX  SINCLAIR  USER  June  1983 


Figure  13:  Connecting  fine  wires  along 


Figure  IS:  Attach  transformer  and  mains 
socket  to  box 


Figure  14:  Connecting  small  board 


Figure  16:  Connect  small  board  to  edge 


TIMEX  SINCLAIR  USER  June  1983 


53 


Extend  your  ZX81/TS1000: 

Add  Memory  that  won’t  Forget! 


**  ADD  YOUR  OWN  SYSTEM  UTILITIES 


^  BUILD  UP  A  LIBRARY  OF  MACHINE 
LANGUAGE  SUBROUTINES 


^  UP  TO  8K  NONVOLATILE  RAM 


^  USE  HM6116LP  CMOS  RAM 
OR  2716/2732  EPROM 


^  COMPATIBLE  WITH 
16K  RAM  PACKS 


READ  THE  REVIEWS: 


>7  ^ 


95 

ptus  $1  96  shco^g  and  hanOHng 


Whirl  a  Sweer  prcducr  concaved  and  #*ec  tiled  very  rwce+y  and  win  quality  component 

(SYNTAX  QUARTERLY  Wkila  121 

BK  NerwflUtito  maroon?  4  a  000"  II  has  bo  mar^  p<M54>te  uses  I  recommend  board  fhOil  heartily 

4 OKLAHOMA  S  if  0  Newalaltar  1 f* 

W*  found  to*  doCn^noHaiori  to  be  nr  jgpacir  to  mat  Idfi  rno*l  hardware  we've  received 

(i.UM  f**w*Utt*f  MowfOtc  «n 

vtrttWf  6h4  4  batt*  1hw  an  EPSOM  <V*\  quit?  high  cm  1h*  k*l  qi  "must -naves" 

t&rNC  M MtdNx  m 


INTRODUCTION 

This  memory  board  b  designed  to  <»  toe  iransparent  $K 
blech  ol  m*mery  [from  9  to  1-6KJ  m  a  ZXB1-16K  tyStam 
This  area  ri  memory  4  an  ideal  p*K9  to  tfwa,  ehhei  pa- 
mananlly  «  lemporarity,  machine  lahguaQ*  lOubnei  or 
data  which  are  to  be  uwto  by  the  BASIC  syalem 

A  sample  tfrsplay  roulrne  a  program—  merging  routine, 
and  procedures  tor  tiding  ulu.lie*  on  tape  are  inctodw 


Th*  use  Of  NM61 I  SLP  2H  CMOS  RAM  memory  C  t  with 
their  mm  reserve  power  supply  means  that  regimes  stored 
m  the  RAM  are  nonvotalile  —  lh»  RAM  H*  mamory 

•van  when  toeZWil  b  switched  oft  or  resel  Moreover  be- 
mg  RAM  the  regimes  yog  ftoto  m  the  memory  ere  easily 
mobile#  The  MhMin  cal  supped  wUh  the  board  will  main* 
lam  sufficient  reserve  power  taf  almost  tern  years 


ASSEMBLY 

Complete  slep-by-slep  instructions  in  a  20  page  manual 
make  aisenfcNy  at  the  board  easy  Con*1rMCUcm  Wes  be 
tween  two  arto  three  hours  The  hit  {pictured  above!  * 


curl  board,  all  capacitors,  resistors,  fransislors.  *0Ch*t*. 
connectors,  miegraied  ckcuiu.  and  the  hii-imm  cel!  The 
board  is  suppaed  wdh  one  ?K  CMOS  &1 1 6UP-3  RAM  —  it 
*  mc«  lor  a  total  Of  6*( 


Complete  lut  with  2K 
Atftiiortai  three  €1t8LP-3 
Bare  pc  board  &  manual 
Assembled  9  lestod  wdh  in 


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HUNTER.  1630  FOREST  HILLS  DRIVE.  OKEMOS,  Ml  48864 


For  more  informal  ion,  circle  20  on  render  service  cord. 


IOOO 


114  PLOT  modes  including: 

Points  and  various  tin*  types 
Textured  triangle  rill 
Absolute  ami  relative  co-ordinates 
Lin*  drawing  to  points  oft  screen 

Mixed  text  and  graphics  including  PRINT  at  graphics 
cursor. 

User  defined  graphics  for  space  invaders  etc 
Screen  COPY  to  printer 


MAIL  OSDtft  SHOP 


Noting  Dale  Technology  Centre 

1 89  Freston  Road,  London  W1 0  6TH 
Telephone:  01  969-8942 


For  more  information,  circle  22  on  reader  service  card. 


CHANGE  YOUR 

TIMEX/SINCLAIR  1000  DISPLAY 
TO  FULL  COLOUR  GRAPHICS 

with 

KOLORWORKS 

LOOK  AT  THE  FEATURES  ■  1  ! 

#  Plugs  into  ZX81/1  000  (edge  connector} 

#  All  text  will  run  on  the  color  tv 

*  Module  contains  It's  own  memory 

*  User  defined  characters  &  graphics  up  to 

256x192  pixels 

#  Latest  technology  with  TMS9918  VDP 

(32  sprite  levels) 

*  Module  contains  extension  of  basic  commands 

including:  PAPER /IN K/BOR DER/BI N/ 
SPRITE/OUT/INP/etc. 

for  $149,95 

Use  your  KOLORWORKS  immediately  wilti  a 
game  cassette  for  $9.95 

This  delightful  game  is  designed  for  hours  of  fun  using  some 
of  the  color  graphic  capabilities  of  KOLORWORKS.  The 
cassette  also  contains  a  short  program  to  familiarize  you 
with  some  of  the  commands  and  graphics. 


MAIL  TO: 

BRAINCHILD  COMPUTER  WORKS,  INC. 

P.0,  Box  506 
Pewaukee,  Wl  53072 


Price  +  Qty.  Amount 


KOLORWORKS 

$149.95 

CASSETTE 

9.95 

Shipping  and  Handling 

4.95 

$4.95 

WL  Rex.  add  Sales  Tax 

My  Dcheck  Qmoney  order  enclosed 

TOTAL 

Nam* 


Street  

City  State  Zip 

Please  allow  six  to  eight  weeks  for  processing.  Thank  you. 

For  further  information  -  Send  $2.00  (credited  to  order) 

WATCH  FOR: 

"GAAMWORKS”  - 

Joystick  Ports  /  Sound  /  Cartridge  Slot 

For  more  information,  circle  27  on  reader  service  card. 

TIMEX  SINCLAIR  USER  June  1903 


54 


ICiriTeRCOMPUT€R  IMC. 

T  M 

Expands  the  use  of  your  TIMEX  SINCLAIR  1000 


INTERCONTROLLEFU 

Makes  Your  Life  a  Little  Easier 

Puts  your  Timex  Sinclair  1000  to  work  around  the  clock  and 
does  any  number  of  tasks  for  you  automatically  (turns  on/off 
your  lights,  motors,  wafers  your  lawn  )  at  home,  office  or 
laboratory  Just  plug  INTERCONTROLLER™  into  your  com- 
puter  and  program  each  of  the  unit  three  switches  individu¬ 
ally,  The  INTERCONTROLLER™  is  software  programable 
time  intervals  from  fractions  of  seconds  to  days.  You  can 
connect  up  to  four  INTERCONTROLLER™  units  to  your 
computer  if  you  have  a  SOFTBOX™  #PL7013  $34.95 

CARTRIDGES 

Don!  Wait  For  Cassette  Based  Programs  To  Load 

Many  intercomputer  programs  are  also  available  on  solid 
state  cartridges  Just  plug  a  cartridge  directly  into  your  TS 
1000  or  if  you  have  a  SOFTBOX™,  connect  up  to  four  car¬ 
tridges  to  your  computer  at  a  time  and  enjoy  having  instant 
and  easy  access  to  your  favorite  program 

#CS1001  $24.95 

FLEXIBLE  RIBBON  CONNECTOR 

No  More  System  Crashes 

For  connecting  any  MEMORY  EXPANSION,  SOFTBOX™ 
CARTRIDGES,  and  INTER  CONTROLLER™  to  your  TS100G 
This  flexible  connector  prevents  usual  system  crashes  caused 
by  the  RAM  expansion  movement 
■  Gold  Plated  Connectors 

*  6  Inches  Long  Flat  Ribbon  Cable  #PL7016  $17.95 


SOFTBOX™ 

This  modular  box  contains  four  gold  plated  software  select^ 
able  connectors  which  can  hold  any  combination  of  INTER- 
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SOFTBOX™  has  a  DC  power  input  jack,  an  on-off  switch,  and 
an  LED  indicator,  providing  a  better  alternative  for  powering 
on/off  your  computer  and  peripherals  eliminating  overloading 

Prob,ems  #PL7012  $59.95 


QSAVE 

A  Reliable  Fas!  Loading  System 


Many  thousands  of  satisfied  customers 
now  have  a  highly  reliable  loading  system 
which  operates  16  times  faster  than  the 
Sinclair  system 
This  is  what  you  get 

1.  A  cassette  interface  which  plugs  into 
your  Timex  1000  to  improve  the  sig¬ 
nal  quality  To  make  loading  most  reli¬ 
able,  an  AUTOMATIC  LEVEL  CON¬ 
TROL.  an  OVERLOAD  WARNING 
LIGHT,  a  SAVE/LOAD  SWITCH,  and 
an  ON/OFF  switch  are  also  built  into 
this  unit 

2.  Highly  sophisticated  software  which 
will  load  and  save  programs  at  16 
times  their  normal  speed  (i.e  8K  in  10 
secs;  48K  in  110  secs)  It  works 
equally  well  with  AUTO  RUN  pro¬ 
grams,  BASIC  or  MACHINE  CODE 


QSAVE  will  operate  with  ANY  memory 
and  on  ANY  program  length  All  the  above 
is  contained  in  V4K  of  superbly  easy  to  use 


software 


#PL7001 


$37.95 


MCODER 

Makes  Machine  Code  Redundant 

Now  there  is  no  need  to  spend  long 
tedious  hours  writing  and  debugging  your 
programs  in  laborious  machine  code  —  let 
MCoder  do  all  the  hard  work  for  you 
MCoder  is  the  first  real  integer  compiler 
for  the  Timex  Sinclair  1000  This  very 
sophisticated  piece  of  software  will  simply 
translate  basic  programs  into  machine 
code  for  you.  giving  an  average  speed 
improvement  of  the  order  of  75  times 
although  in  certain  cases  the  improve¬ 
ment  can  be  as  much  as  900  times  faster 
MCODER  IS  DESIGNED  TO  BE  AS 
SIMPLE  AS  POSSIBLE  TO  USE 

1.  Load  MCoder 

2.  Write  or  load  your  basic  program  as 
normal 

3.  RUN  and  debug  your  basic  program 

4.  Compile  your  program  using  a  single 
PRINT  USR  command  If  you  have 
made  a  mistake  MCoder  will  tell  you 
exactly  where,  allowing  you  to  correct 
it  before  it  is  too  late 

As  an  additional  feature  basic  programs 
can  be  compiled  and  "Stacked  '  above 
each  other  in  memory  —  giving  you  true 
flexibility  in  your  programming 

#PT4001  $18.95 


STOPPER 

No  doubt  you  have  felt  the  frustration  of 
not  being  able  to  see  the  listing  or  to 
make  backup  copies  of  machine  code 


programs.  Intercomputer  STOPPER  ends 
this  frustration  and  enables  you  to  break 
through  any  machine  code  software  you 
want,  list  the  program  on  the  screen,  save 
it  on  another  tape,  or  print  it  if  you  have  a 
printer  Simply  load  STOPPER  and  your 
program  into  your  TS  1000  and  follow 
instructions  Once  loaded  STOPPER  stays 
in  your  computer  and  you  may  use  it  for 
other  programs  #PT4002  $18  95 


DEALERS/DISTRIBUTORS  PACKAGE 
AVAILABLE 

Phone  orders:  (617)  437-1190  7  days  a  week 


Twail  to:  Intercomputer.  Inc  PO  Sox  90 

Prudential  Center.  Boston,  M A  02199 


Tel  (617)  437-1190 
Telex  951141COFAA 


PART# 

QTY 

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Shipping  and  Handling  4.95 


Mass  Residents  Tax  5% 


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For  more  information  on  these  products  and  our  FULL  LINE  OF  SOFTWARE 
please  call  or  write  to  INTERCOMPUTE  a 

COMING  SOON:  A  full  line  of  Software  and  Peripherals  for  ZX  SPECTRUM/ 
TIMEX  SINCLAIR  2000 


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If 2*  g 


Vast  support  network  growing 


AVAST  support  network  exists 
for  the  T/S1000.ZX81: 
wherever  goes  the  most 
popular  computer  in  history,  user 
groups  are  not  far  behind.  Below  is 
a  list  of  many  such  groups  in  the 
United  States;  as  new  ones  are 
springing  up  all  the  time,  we  make 
no  claims  that  it  is  inclusive. 
Whenever  two  or  more 


★★★★★★★★★★★ 


CALIFORNIA 

Bay  Area  ZX  User  Group 
2660  Las  Aroma 
Oakland  CA  94611 
Pacifica  TS/ZX  Users"  Group 
263  Gateway  #107 
Pacifica  CA  94044 
Contact:  George  Mockridge 
415-359-3198 

Perkin- Elmer  Users'  Group 
6333  Pumalo 
Alta  Loma  CA  91701 
Contact:  Rein  Smith 


Subscription  Offer 

Timex  Sinclair  User  extends  a 
special  offer  to  User  Groups!  Your 
group  can  earn  $125  or  more  to 
help  pay  for  your  newsletters, 
speakers’  fees,  renting  meeting 
space  and  so  on.  To  earn  your 
“Bonus  Bucks,”  sign  25  members 
or  more  as  subscribers  to  Timex 
Sinclair  User  at  $29.95  each;  send 
us  a  cheque  for  only  $24.95  per 
order;  keep  the  $5  cash  bonus  for 
each  order  (minimum  25),  and  earn 
at  least  $125  for  your  group. 

Each  subscriber  will  receive,  at 
no  extra  charge,  a  cassette  of  an  ex¬ 
citing  new  arcade  game,  "Packrab- 
bit”  (retail  value  $15),  Special  offer 
valid  for  limited  time  only. 


T/S1000.ZX81  enthusiasts  meet, 
there  you  see  the  beginnings  of  a 
group;  and  as  there  are  now  more 
than  600,000  T/S1000.ZX81  com¬ 
puters  sold  in  the  United  States, 
such  meetings  are  becoming  in¬ 
creasingly  common.  So  if  we  have 
omitted  your  group,  we  apologize 
—  and  do  let  us  know  so  we  can  in¬ 
clude  it  in  an  update.  3>*  3 


* 

* 

* 

* 

* 

* 

* 


* 

* 

* 

* 

* 

* 

* 


User  Group 

RO.  Box  2842 

Users’  Group 

814-364-1325 

947  Clara  Drive 

Atlanta  GA  30301 

9528  Elvin  Lane 

Pittsburgh  Area  Computer 

Palo  Alto  CA  94303 

Contact:  Phil  Hoffstadter 

Lanham  MD  20706 

Club, 

Contact:  Dr,  Paul  Perreault 

404-529-4326 

Contact:  Cora  C.  Dickinson 

Special  Interest  Group  — 

408-734-5300 

ILLINOIS 

MASSACHUSETTS 

Sinclair 

West  L.A.  Sinclair/Timex  User 

Chicago  Area  Users’  Group 

Boston  Computer  Society 

1605  Middlecrest  Drive 

Club 

323  S.  Franklin  #804 

3  Center  Plaza 

Glenshaw  PA  15116 

P.O.  Box  34545 

Chicago  IL  60606 

Boston  MA  02136 

,  Contact:  Dick  Welsh 

Los  Angeles  CA  90034 

Contact:  Larry  Weigel 

Contact:  Sue  Mahoney 

412-487-0789 

Contact:  Dr.  George  Kuby 

Circle  Chess  Group 

Mitre  Bedford  Sinclair/Timex 

TENNESSEE 

213-550-5035 

P.O.  Box  63 

Computer  Club 

Chatanooga  Area  Sinclair 

WASHINGTON,  D.C. 

Des  Plaines,  IL  60017 

Box  208,  El  70  Mail  Stop 

Users 

Washington  Area  Users 

Contact:  A.F.  Standis 

Bedford  MA  01730 

RO,  Box  1321 

RO,  6239 

Sinclair  Users'  Network 

Contact:  Ed  Lindsay 

Collegedale  TN  37315 

Washington  DC  20015 

2170  Oak  Brook  Circle 

MICHIGAN 

Contact:  Dan  Williams 

FLORIDA 

Palatine  IL  60067 

Michigan  Area  Users’  Group 

TEXAS 

Florida  Suncoast  Users’ 

Contact:  Diana  Wright 

433-D  E.  Edgewood  Blvd, 

Timex  Educator’s  User’s 

Group 

312-934-9375 

Lansing  ML  48910 

Group 

RO.  Box  5021 

INDIANA 

NEBRASKA 

School  of  Education, 

Spring  Hill  FL  33526 

Sinclair  Midwest  Users' 

S.U.N.  (Sinclair  Users’ 

Texas  Wesleyan  College 

Contact:  John  Dowlan 

Group 

Network) 

Fort  Worth  TX  76105 

Sam-Bam  Users’  Group 

P.O.  Box  13042 

4903  Walker 

Contact:  Mark  Wasicsko 

P.O.  Box  596 

Fort  Wayne  IN  46866 

Lincoln  NE  68504 

817-531-4440 

Safety  Harbor  FL  33572 

Contact:  Robert  C,  Carroll 

Contact:  Patrick  Murphy 

VIRGINIA 

Contact:  Mel  Routt 

LOUISIANA 

402-464-8086 

Central  Virginia  Users'  Group 

Sinclair/Timex  5E  Region 

Gulf  Coast  Sinclair  Users’ 

NEW  YORK 

Rt.  1,  Box  192, 

Newsletter 

Group 

DataAmeriea  Computer 

Troy  VA  22974 

669  Levitt  Parkway 

144  Terry  Dr. 

312  E.  84  St.  #1A 

Colonial  Pennwild  TS  User 

Rockledge  FL  32955 

Slidell  LA  70458 

New  York  NY  10028 

Group 

Contact:  Ralph  M.  Coletti 

MARYLAND 

Upperstate  New  York  ZX81 

146  Hawthorne  Drive 

305-853-6901 

Amateur  Radio  Group 

Users 

Newport  News  VA  23602 

Space  Coast  Microcomputer 

5448  Tilden  Road 

13  Dennis  Ave. 

Contact:  Jim  Langston 

Club 

Bladensburg  MD 

Plaftsburg  NY  12901 

804-877-3920 

70  Darwin  Ave. 

Contact:  Jim  Wallace 

Contact:  Vern  Olsen 

WEST  VIRGINIA 

Merritt  Island  FL  32952 

Prince  George’s  Sinclair 

ZX  Users'  Group  of  America 

Sinclair  Super  Group 

Contact:  Bruce  Hosken 

Users'  Group 

626  Water  St. 

949  Brier  SL 

GEORGIA 

5448  Tilden  Road 

New  York  NY  10002 

St.  Albans  WV  25177 

Atlanta  Users'  Croup 

Bladensburg  MD 

Contact:  Jules  Gesang 

ZX  Users’  Group  of  New  York 

J3f\v  RQ|1  ftjfflll  St 

Contact:  William  Meclaw 

301-243-2550 

QUA  JoU,  IVlall  Ql* 

New  York  NY  10005 

DU 

Seabrook/Lanham  Sinclair 

Contact:  Caroline  Vivanco 

TIMEX  SINCLAIR  USER 

NORTH  CAROLINA 

Triangle  Sinclair  Users' 
Group 

RO.  Box  12546 

Research  Triangle  Park  NC 

27709 

Contact:  John  Drummond 
919-543-6006 

PENNSYLVANIA 

Central  PA  TS/ZX  Users' 
Group 

RD  1.  RO.  Box  539 
Centre  Hall  PA  16828 


In  the  U.K., 

home  of  the  world’s 

best-selling 

computer,,  you’d 

buy  through 

Prism. 

Now,  m  the  U.S. A.f 
you  con  buy  the 
best-proven 
programs  from 

Prism... 


TIMEX  SINCLAIR  USER 


5? 


Spread-sheet  plant 
chaBenaina  games,  ed 


Over  a  million  people  world-wide  have  bought  a  Timex 
Sinclair  personal  computer,  and  every  month  the  figure  grows. 


ADVENTURE 


Al.  Samurai  Warrior  —  A  game  where,  as  a 
Samurai  warrior,  you  battle  with  other 
Samurai  and  with  bandits  to  protect  villages. 
Can  you  become  Shogun?  ( 1 6K) 


A2.  Tyrant  of  Athens  —  Disasters,  famines, 
attacks  from  land  and  sea.  Can  you  resist 
them  all  and  remain  Lord  of  Athens?  < I6K) 

A3,  Roman  Empire  —  Send  legions  to 
conquer  Mediterranean  countries  —  and  if 
you  succeed,  crown 'yourself  Caesar!  (16K) 

Peloponnesian  —  A  re-enactment  of  the 
famous  battles  between  Athens  and  Sparta. 
Try  to  win  allies  and  influence  people  before 
the  final  battle!  (16K) 


A5,  Warlord  —  You’ll  need  swift  judgement 
to  protect  your  village  from  marauding 
bandits  and  Samurai,  your  fleet  from  pirates, 
and  your  people  from  slavery.  (16K) 


And  it's  true  of  any  serious  computer  that  'the  software 
makes  the  system’. 

So,  what  better  software  to  buy  than  Prism  software?  As 
Exclusive  Trade  Distributors  for  the  Sinclair  range  of  computers, 
peripherals  and  software  in  the  U.K.,  Prism  in-depth  knowledge 
and  experience  is  unrivalled. 

With  a  significant  reputation  to  maintain,  you  can  be  sure 
Prism  software  has  been  thoroughly  'field-proven’. 

Spread-sheet  planner,  word  processing,  challenging  games, 
educational  programs  .  .  .  now  they’re  all  available  to  you  in 
North  America. 

They  gi*e  you  even  more  scope  with  your  TS10OO,  and  allow 
you  to  use  your  computer  immediately*. 

This  easy-to-use  software  is  even  easier  to  order!  Complete 
and  mail  the  coupon  opposite  for  the  programs  of  your  choice  — 
today. 


A6.  Escape  From  Manhattan  —  MAY  DAY 

.  .  .  MAY  DAY  .  .  .  The  President’s  plane 
has  crashed,  on  an  island  of  convicts!  Get 
there!  Get  him!  Then  get  out  again!  (16K) 

A7.  Demon  Adventure  —  Standard-text 
adventure  game  with  real-time  battles  and 
which  relies  on  complexity  rather  than 
difficulty  of  play.  (I6K) 

A8.  The  Thing  —  A  graphic  adventure  game 
set  in  the  Antartic,  Escape  to  the  helicopter 
and  save  your  life  —  if  you  can.  (16K) 

ARCADE  ACTION 

Rl.  J.D.  Arcades  —  Three  popular  m/code 
games  with  some  novel  twists.  (16K) 

R2.  Outrider  —  Save  your  mother  ship.  She’s 
being  assailed  by  aliens!  (16K) 


+16K  programs  require  16K  RAM  memory  pack .  R3-  Xaraks  —  Get  round  the  maze  without 

All  designed  to  let  you 
most  from  your  TS100 


58 


TIMEX  SINCLAIR  USER  June  1903 


ting,  word  processing, 
motional  programs... 


the  guard  catching  you.  And  if  you  want  to 
make  things  difficult  for  yourself,  there  are 
nine  levels  of  play,  all  m/code,  ( 16K) 

R4,  Avenger  —  A  classic.  Can  you  win  the 
planet?  Destroy  oncoming  missiles,  bombs, 
and  the  city  below  to  stake  your  claim.  (16K) 

R5.  Protector  —  Defend  your  ship  against 
oncoming  missiles.  Can  you  create  the 
highest-ever  score?  (16K) 

R6.  Bomber  —  You  must  land,  but  not 
before  all  alien  life  forms  are  neutralized  .  .  . 
but  they  want  to  neutralize  you!  (16K) 

R7,  Alien  Rain  —  There's  an  Extra 
Terrestrial  on  one  side  of  the  screen,  and 
you're  on  the  other.  It's  raining  —  bombs! 
Please  try  and  rescue  the 
Extra-Terrestrial .  ( 1 6K) 


Pl09,am''sW9  ,, 


coni'" 


ued  o'16' 


Now  order  your  TS1000 
programs  direct  from  Prism— 
the  TS1000  experts  ,  ,  . 


Adventure 

0  AL  Samurai  Warrior  . .  $9.95 

□  A2.  Tyrant  of  Athens , .  $9.95 

□  A3.  Roman  Empire _  $9.95 

□  A4.  Peloponnesian  . , . ,  $9.95 


□  AS.  Warlord ..........  $9.95 

□  A  6.  Escape  From 

Manhatten . .  $14.95 

□  A7.  Demon  Adventure  .  $9.95 
D  AS.  The  Thing  ........  $9.95 

Arcade  Action 

□  Rl.  F.D.  Arcades . $9.95 

□  R2.  Outrider . . .  $9.95 

□  R3.  Xaraks . . $9.95 

D  R4.  Avenger . $9.95 

D  R5.  Protector  .... . $9.95 

D  R6.  Bomber  ..........  $9.95 

□  R7.  Alien  Rain . . . $9.95 

Business 

□  BL  Word  Processor  . .  $19.95 

□  B3.  Trawler. . . $9.95 


Challenge 

□  Cl.  Video  Map _ _  $9.95 

□  C2. .  Golf . . $9.95 

□  C3.  Pilot ... . $9.95 

Computer 

□  PI.  Hi- Res  Package  ..  $19.95 

□  P2 .  Video  Graph  . ... .  $14,95 

□  PS.  Video  Sketch . $14.95 

Games 

□  Gl.  Party  Tricks . $9.95 


□  G2.  Music  Program. .  * ,  $9.95 


Total 

Postage  &  Handling  $1 .50  per  item 
(SS.00  maximum) 

N.Y,  Residents  add  7%  Sales  Tax 


TOTAL  ORDER  VALUE 


C  Check  □  Mastercard  □  Visa  □  Money  Order 

Card  No. _ Exp.  date _ 

Cardholder’s  signature^ _ 

Name _ 


Address 


City _ State _ Zip 

Please  allow  4-6  weeks  for  delivery. 


get  the 
O...Now! 


Please  send  coupon  with  payment  to: 
PRISM  MICROPRODUCTS 
49  La  Salle  Avenue 
Buffalo,  N.Y..  14214 


I  Prism  Micro  products  are 
i  published  and  distributed  in 
I  North  America  by 
_  Internationa]  Publishing  & 

I  Software  Inc, 

i _ 


MICROPRCTXJCTS 


TIMEX  SINCLAIR  USER  June  1983 


OOOiSl 


Order  yourTS  1000  programs 
iodau- direct  from  Prism,  the 
KI000  experts. 


BUSINESS 

BL  Word  Processor  —  Use  your  TS1000  to 
familiarise  yourself  with  word  processing*  If 
you  have  a  printer,  prepare  a  letter  to  your 
friends*  (16K) 

B2.  The  Spread-sheet  —  Prepare  forecasts, 
budgets,  projections  and  models*  This  spread¬ 
sheet  planner  for  the  TS1000  brings 
professional  computer  techniques  within 
everyone’s  reach*  (16K) 

B3.  Trawler  —  A  business- management  game 
set  in  the  North  Sea.  Can  you  match  the 
catch  of  a  top  trawler  captain?  (16K) 

CHALLENGE 

Cl.  Video  Map  —  Navigate  your  plane  cross¬ 
country*  Sounds  easy?  If  you  go  off  course 

(I6K) 

C2.  Golf  —  Play  your  game  of  golf  in  the 
comfort  of  your  own  home!  But  don’t  be 
deceived  —  you  still  have  to  deal  with  sand, 
rough,  trees,  etc*  (16K) 

C3*  Pilot  —  That’s  you*  Can  you  land  your 
plane  safely  in  the  dark?  (16K) 

COMPUTING 

PI.  Hi-Res  Package  —  Greatly  enhances  the 
graphics  facilities  of  your  TS1000,  increasing 
the  resolution  to  256  x  192.  (I6K) 

P2,  Video  Graph  —  Despite  the  name  this 
one  doesn’t  plot  graphs!  Instead,  this 
fascinating  program  enables  you  to  create 
pictures  which  can  be  stored,  and  then 
merged  —  like  an  Identikit*  (16K) 

P3.  Video  Sketch  —  Use  the  full  graphics 
facilities  of  the  TS1G00  —  draw,  type,  use  the 
large  alphabet  and  reverse  images.  (16K) 

GAMES 

Gl.  Party  Tricks  —  A  range  of  programs 
with  listings  suppied,  to  give  the  novice  an 
insight  into  the  TS1Q0O  BASIC*  (IK) 

G2.  Music  Program  —  Compose  your  music 
on  the  TS100G.  With  the  aid  of  an  amplifier  it 
can  play  for  you  (I6K) 


MOKPRODUCTS 


L 


PRISM  MICROPRODUCTS  INC. 
49  La  Salle  Avenue 
Buffalo,  N,Y.  14214 


60 


For  more  information,  circle  24  on  reader  service  card. 


TIMEX  SINCLAIR  USER  June  1963 


GLOSSARY 


Basic  —  Beginners*  All-purpose 
Symbolic  Instruction  Code.  A 
programming  language  resembling 
English  which  is  used  by  beginners 
because  most  popular  microcom¬ 
puters  have  it  as  standard. 

Bug  —  an  error  in  a  program. 
EPROM  —  Erasable  Programmable 
Read-Only  Memory.  Semi¬ 
permanent  storage.  Information  is 
not  erased  if  the  power  is  turned  off 
in  the  computer.  Programs  can  be 
erased  by  subjecting  the  memory 
chips  to  ultra-violet  light.  The 
memory  can  then  be  reprogrammed 
using  an  electrical  device  called  an 
EPROM  blower* 

Interface  —  RS232  and  Centronics, 
A  device  which  enables  other  com¬ 
puters  or  add-ons,  such  as  printers* 
to  be  connected  to  the  computer*  It 
converts  non-standard  signals  from 
add-ons  to  the  standard  signals  of 
the  computer  in  use. 

Kilobyte  (K)  —  A  measurement  of 
memory  size.  Most  machines  use 
16K  as  a  minimum  but  48K  is 
generally  agreed  to  be  necessary  for 
serious  work. 

Machine  code  —  An  electronic 
pulse  code  used  by  the  computer  to 
perform  functions  and  communicate 
with  memory  and  other  devices. 
Mnemonics  —  Abbreviated  instruc¬ 
tions  —  for  example  LD  for  Load  — 
used  in  machine  language  program¬ 
ming. 

Motherboard  —  An  external  printed 
circuit  board  which  is  used  like  a 
multi-way  plug  planner.  It  enables 
other  printed  circuit  boards*  such  as 
graphics  boards  and  color  boards*  to 
be  slotted  in. 

Port  —  A  link  to  the  outside  world 
which  can  be  used  by  programs  and 
the  computer. 

PCB  —  Printed  Circuit  Board,  A 
board  which  has  on  it  the  electronic 
circuits  of  the  computer. 

RAM  —  Random  Access  Memory. 
Information  and  programs  can  be 
stored  in  this  type  of  memory  as  elec¬ 
tronic  pulses  which  conform  to  a  set 
of  numbers  —  machine  language  — 
in  which  programs  are  represented 
in  the  computer.  When  the  power  is 
turned  off  the  information  will  be 
lost. 

ROM  —  Read  Only  Memory.  Infor¬ 
mation  stored  in  this  type  of  memory 
is  not  lost  when  the  power  is  switch¬ 
ed  off. 

Software  —  Programs  which  control 
the  operation  of  the  computer. 
Syntax  error  —  a  bug  caused  by  in¬ 
correct  use  of  a  programming 
language. 


The  basic  route  to  a 
habit-forming  hobby 


Our  easy-to-follow  guide  for  new  owners 


UYING  a  Timex  Sinclair 
machine  can  be  the  start  of  a 
lifetime  obsession  with  home 
computing*  It  is  easy*  however*  to 
become  discouraged  if  everything 
does  not  go  according  to  plan  from 
the  beginning. 

For  those  with  only  a  little 
knowledge  of  computers  and  their 
capabilities*  the  best  way  to  ap¬ 
proach  the  machine  is  to  abandon 
any  ideas  for  special  uses.  It  is  bet¬ 
ter  to  become  familiar  with  the 
many  facilities  and  then  decide 
how  you  wish  to  use  them. 

Begin  by  unpacking  your 
machine*  overcoming  your  surprise 
at  its  size  and  weight  and,  follow¬ 
ing  the  manual*set  up  the  system.  If 
you  cannot  get  the  K  on  the  screen* 
check  that  everything  is  plugged  in¬ 


to  its  correct  socket  and  reset  the 
machine  by  pulling  out  the  power 
plug  for  one  second  and  plugging  it 
in  again.  If  still  nothing  appears, 
check  the  power  supply  unit  by 
shaking  it.  If  it  rattles,  return  it.  If  it 
is  okay*  check  your  system  with 
that  of  a  friend. 

Once  the  K  appears  you  are 
ready  to  begin  learning  about  your 
machine.  It  can  prevent  family 
arguments  if  you  can  afford  a 
separate  television  set  for  your 
system*  It  also  makes  life  easier  if 
you  set  up  your  equipment  per¬ 
manently  somewhere  ,  A  few  power 
sockets  and  a  four-way  block  con¬ 
nector  on  a  short  length  of  exten¬ 
sion  cable  will  help  make  it  tidy. 

The  manual  is  written  in  great 
detail  and  is  reasonably  easy  to 
follow.  Some  of  the  chapters  may 
not  seem  immediately  relevant  but 
it  is  worthwhile  reading  them  as 
you  might  miss  something  impor¬ 
tant. 

At  this  stage*  patience  is  needed 
in  learning  the  ways  in  which  the 
computer  will  accept  information. 
It  is  tempting  to  try  to  enter  pro¬ 
grams  before  you  are  ready  but  that 
is  likely  to  lead  to  errors.  For  exam¬ 
ple*  words  like  AND,  THEN  and 
AT  should  not  be  typed  in  letter  by 
letter. 

By  the  time  you  have  reached 
chapter  11  in  the  T/S1000*ZX81 
manual,  you  should  have  ac¬ 
cumulated  sufficient  knowledge  to 
be  able  to  type  in  other  people's 
programs*  such  as  those  in  Timex 
Sinclair  User, 

It  is  important  when  using  the 
T/SlQ00,ZX81  that  it  is  not  jolted. 
Some  of  the  connections  can  easily 
work  loose  and  everything  which 
has  been  entered  will  be  lost. 

Asa  way  of  relaxing  you  can  buy 


some  of  the  growing  range  of 
commercially-produced  software. 
This  can  be  loaded  directly  from 
cassette  but  make  sure  that  your 
machine  is  big  enough  to  take  the 
tapes  you  buy. 

The  tapes  vary  in  quality,  and  it 
is  advisable  to  read  the  reviews  in 
Timex  Sinclair  User  and  use  your 
judgment  to  find  the  best. 

An  alternative  method  to  learn 
about  the  T/31000,ZX81  is  to 
plunge  in  at  the  deep  end  and  see 
what  the  machine  will  do.  Refer  to 
the  manual  when  you  have  dif¬ 
ficulties.  You  can  ignore  the  func¬ 
tions  and  calculations  initially  and 
experiment  with  PRINT  statements 
to  obtain  the  feel  of  the  machine. 

You  may  already  have  heard 
about  the  problem  involved  in 
SAVEing  and  LGADing  your  own 
cassettes. 

Usually  they  occur  when 
LGADing  tapes  recorded  by  other 
people.  One  simple  method  to  over¬ 
come  this  is  to  wind  the  tape  to  the 
middle  of  the  program  and  type 
LOAD"”  followed  by  ENTER;  then 
increase  the  volume  of  the  recorder 
slowly  with  the  tape  running  until 
the  television  screen  shows  four  or 
five  thick  black  bands.  If  you  then 
rewind  the  tape,  the  program 
should  LOAD  normally. 

Finally,  a  health  warning.  Apart 
from  any  practical  uses,  computing 
with  your  Timex  Sinclair  machine 
can  be  a  very  entertaining  hobby 
and  is  almost  certainly  habit¬ 
forming.  You  may  easily  find 
yourself  crouched  over  your 
machine,  red-eyed,  in  the  early 
hours  of  the  morning  thinking  that 
in  another  five  minutes  you  will 
solve  the  problem.  Try  to  break  that 
habit  by  getting  into  the  fresh  air 
and  meeting  other  Sinclair  users. 

By  obtaining  a  Timex  Sinclair 
computer  you  find  that  you  have 
joined  a  not  very  exclusive  club 
with  many  thousands  of  members, 
many  of  whom  would  be  only  too 
happy  to  advise  you  if  you  have  dif¬ 
ficulties. 

Make  sure  of  your  regular  copies 
of  Timex  Sinclair  User  and  you  can 
be  guaranteed  many  happy  hours. 

0^0 


Get  more  out  of  your 

TIMEX/SINCLAIR 

with  software  from 

RUN-IT! 


Many  unique  programs  including: 
GRAPH  IT 

COMPUTER  AWARENESS 
REAL  ESTATE  ADVISOR 
MORTGAGE/LOAN  ANALYZER 
MARKET  GURU 
MATH  &  STAT  PROGRAMS 
New  cassette  programs  every 
other  month! 

All  with  easy  to  use  manuals! 
SEND  FOR  FREE  CATALOG! 


Run-it 


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ATTENTION 

TIMEX/ Sinclair  1000 
and  Sinclair  ZX-81  ownw 

If  you  ham'  1  bought  a  16K  RAH  peck 
yet  because  they're  too  expensive  or  be¬ 
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around  lor  a  couple  of  months,  then  take 
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THOMAS  B.  WOODS 

F.O,  Box  64,  Jefferson,  N.H.  63565 


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TIMEX-SINCLAIR 

ZX81  ^Soooo 


1983  Directory 

‘  Where  to  find:  Disk  Drives,  RAM  Extensions,  Print 
ere,  Modems,  Keyboards,  Game  A  Serious  Soft¬ 
ware,  Books,  Periodicals.  Programming  Ajds,  and 
other  Exciting  Accessories1 
■  Articles  on:  Special  applications  like  Control  Cir¬ 
cuitry,  E  n  h  a  need  G  f  aphtes,  Vo  ice  Ge  Deration,  Music 
Synthesis,  Video  Inversion,  Light  Pens,  Joysticks, 
etc, 

*  Complete  Descriptions;  We'll  tell  you  what  it  is, 
what  il  does,  how  much  it  costs,  and  where  to 
buy  it. 

*  jam- pecked  w /photographs:  We  knew  you'd 
want  lo  see  what  these  products  look  iike.  So,  we 
got  pictures  and  put  them  ml 

Only  $5.00 ...  Postpaid! 

To  Order;  Send  check,  money  order,  or  VISA/MC 
number  and  expiration  dale.  MM  residents  add 
sales  lax. 

Dealer  inquiries  Welcome, 

E,  Arthur  Brown  Company 

D  ept  1 7 Q2  Oak  Knoll  Drive 

Alexandria,  MN  56306_ Ph:  612/762  8847 


TIMEX  SINCLAIR  COMPUTER  USERS 
We  Have  The  Bocks  You  Need 


□  ART  OF  PROGRAMMING  THE  If  ZX81 

How  to  usa  the  features  of  the  ZX81  m  programs 
that  lit  into  the  IK  machine  96pp  15,75  postpaid. 

□  ART  OF  PROGRAMMING  THE  16K  ZX81 

How  to  use  your  16K  RAM  pack  and  ZX  punter  to 
the  full  144  pp.  56.95  postpaid. 

C  ART  OF  PROGRAMMING  THE  ZX  SPECTRUM. 
Everything  you  need  lo  know  lo  put  the  ZX 
Spectrum  to  work  for  you.  144  pp  $3  postpaid, 

ELECTRONIC  TECHNOLOGY  TODAY.  INC 
P  0  BOX  83 

MASSAPEQUA  PARK.  NY  11762 


Name: _ 

Address. 


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02 


(A.K  .IditvCour 


Vast  database  soon 
available  to  Sinclair  users 


WITH  THE  next  new  com¬ 
puter  from  Sinclair 
Research  not  expected  until 
next  year,  attention  in  the  ILK.  is 
being  focussed  on  expanding  ex¬ 
isting  systems. 

The  two  major  expansions  for 
which  Sinclair  owners  are  eagerly 
waiting  are  the  Microdrives  and 
Micronet  000.  Both  have  been  an¬ 
nounced  but  neither  is  yet 
available. 

The  Microdrives  are  expected 
soon  but  Sinclair  is  refusing  to  give 
any  details  about  when  it  will  go  on 
sale  or  what  it  contains. 

It  is  believed  to  be  a  tape  loop 
which  will  allow  an  extra  100K  of 
memory  to  be  added  to  the  Spec¬ 
trum,  the  U  .K .  version  of  the 
T/S2GQ0.  The  necessary  interface 
will  allow  up  to  eight  drives  to  be 
attached.  Each  drive  should  cost 
£40  ($50)  and  the  interface  will  be 
about  £30  ($43). 

While  these  expansion 
possibilities  seem  large,  the  oppor¬ 
tunities  offered  by  Micronet  000 
are  enormous. 

Micronet  800  is  a  30,000  page 
database  of  information  to  which 
Sinclair  computer  owners  will  be 
able  to  attain  access  via  the 
telephone  network  for  the  cost  of  a 
£50  ($72)  adaptor  plus  a  member¬ 
ship  fee  and  usage  charges. 

Micronet  800  is  a  new  service  on 
British  Telecom's  existing  Prestel 
network.  Prestel  allows  owners  of 
customized  TV  to  attain  access  to 
information  on  everything  from  the 
weather  to  theatre  booking 
facilities. 

Now  with  the  addition  of 
Micronet  000  database  the  whole 
Prestel  network  is  opened  up  to 
microcomputer  owners. 

Subscribers  will  be  able  to 


Nigel  Clark 
reports  from 
Britain  on  the 
promises  of  more 
expansion 


download  programs  of  all  types, 
have  the  latest  news  and  reviews  on 
what  is  happening  in  the  world  of 
personal  computing,  have  the  use 
of  an  electronic  mail  system,  and 
there  will  be  a  section  which  clubs 
can  use  to  contact  members.  They 
will  also  have  access  to  the  full 
Prestel  database. 

Adaptors  are  being  produced  for 
the  full  range  of  Micros  in  the 


British  market,  but  as  yet  they  are 
not  available  for  the  Spectrum  or 
the  ZX81.  The  system  has  already 
been  launched  with  adaptors  for 
the  BBC  Model  B,  Apple  II  and 
PET,  and  interest  has  been  very 
good.  However,  the  backers  will 
not  know  if  the  system  will  be  a  suc¬ 
cess  until  they  bring  in  users  of  the 
market  leader.  It  is  intended  to  have 
an  adaptor  for  the  Spectrum  by  this 
month,  with  the  ZX81  being  catered 
to  later  in  the  year. 

Some  delay  has  been  caused  by  a 
breakdown  in  relations  between 
Sinclair  Research  and  a  firm  called 
Martochoice,  which  was  a  joint 
winner  of  a  competition  for  a 
Prestel  adaptor  for  the  ZX81  last 
year.  They  were  cooperating  to  pro¬ 
duce  an  adaptor  for  the  Spectrum, 
but  this  fell  through  this  year 
because  of  a  disagreement  within 
Martochoice.  For  the  moment, 
Sinclair  has  dropped  its  own  plans 
for  providing  telesoftware,  but 
Micronet  is  going  ahead  with  an 
adaptor  from  another  source. 

It  is  seen  in  many  circles  as  the 
possible  savior  of  the  pioneering 
Prestel  Viewdata  service.  Interest 
in  the  service  has  been  slow  to 
build  up  with  businesses  being  the 
main  customers.  Users  needed  a 
relatively  expensive  specially- 
adapted  television  set  and  the  cost 
of  using  the  systems  was  also 
thought  to  be  high  for  the  home. 
The  rapid  growth  in  home  com¬ 
puting  has  provided  a  means  for 
changing  all  that. 

An  adaptor  at  a  reasonable  price 
and  lower  user  costs  has  already 
generated  a  lot  of  interest,  which  is 
expected  to  be  quickly  translated 
into  a  growing  number  taking  ad¬ 
vantage  of  the  latest  telecom¬ 
munications  technology.  0  /o 


TIMEX  SINCLAIR  USER  June  1983 


Subscribe  here 

for  Britain’s  First  Electronics  3e  Computer  Applications  Magazine, 
the  publication  with  a  unique  blend  of  theory,  projects,  software 
and  product  reviews,  plus  science  and  general  features  on  a  wide 
variety  of  computing  and  electronics  topics. 

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Synchro-Sette 


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MICRO  COMPUTERS 


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RAMPAK 16 

16K  RAM  EXPANSION 
FOR  TIMEX/SINCLAIR 
1000/ZX81 


GROW 
WITH  US! 

EXPANSION 
PRODUCTS 
FOR  YOUR 
MICROCOMPUTER 


Expand  your  Timex  Sinclair  with  RAMPAK  16. 
Just  plug  in  RAMPAK  16  and  get  16K  of  additional 
RAM  memory  No  additional  power  required. 
Packaged  in  an  attractive  black  case.  Every 
RAMPAK  16  has  a  Lifetime  Warranty  when  the 
warranty  card  is  returned  to  MSD*  Ask  for  us  by 


name,  MSD. 


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of  Time*  Sinclair.  RAMPAK  16 
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Dealer  Inquiries: 
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64 


Far  more  information,  cirde  32  on  reader  service  card, 

TIMEX  SINCLAIR  USER  June  1983 


Use  your  computer  in  the  case... 

Foam  rubber  gives  complete  protection... 
Purpose-built  forTimex/Sinclair  systems. 

TS  KXX)  and  2000 

Custom  Cases. 
Just  $79". 


Turn  yourTimex/Sindair  system 
into  a  portable  computing  centre! 


Your  TS  hardware  -  1000  or  2000  -  is 
designed  to  work  together  as  a  system. 

And  now  there's  a  simple  way  to  make 
the  most  of  the  fact. 

The  portable  computing  centre 
in  a  briefcase. 

A  TS  Custom  Case  holds  all  your 
hardware  in  the  most  ergonomically 


ZX81 

Custom  Case 
also  available! 


TIMEX  SINCLAIR  USER 


sensible  positions  for  easy  operation.  Each 
piece  of  equipment  is  gripped  securely  by 
shock-absorbing  foam.  Each  connecting 
lead  fits  under  the  foam,  so  there ^5  no 
chance  of  tangles.  And  as  each  piece  is  held 
firmly,  connections  are  excellent. 

You  can  forget  wasted  time  setting  up  or 
unhooking  the  system,  too.  ^Xhen  you've 
finished,  simply  tuck  in  the  mains  and  TV 
leads  and  replace  the  hinged,  lift-off  lid. 

And  of  course,  if  you're  taking  vour  TS 
system  to  college  or  the  office,  TS  Custom 
Cases  are  a  lot  less  cumbersome  than  a  bag 
or  rucksack.  And  a  lot  more  protective  and 
professional. 

Designed  by  TS  enthusiasts  - 
for  TS  enthusiasts. 

Both  the  TS  1000  and  2000  Custom 
Gases  were  designed  by  a  group  of  TS 
system  users  and  manufactured  bv  Britain's 
leading  case  makers.  Made  from  impact- 
resistant  ABS,  each  case  holds  every  piece  of 
Timex  Sinclair  hardware  available  for  the 
respective  computers  -  plus  Learning  Lab, 
manual,  softw  are  cassettes  and  any  cassette 
p  i  a  v e  r  u  p  to  10  ■/ 2"x  5  W\  I  f  y  ou  h  a ve  n't  a  1 1 
the  hardware,  simply  leave  the  pre-cut  foam 
in  position,  then  remove  it  as  you  get  extra 
pieces  of  equipment. 

And  when  brand  new  hardware  is 
introduced,  or  you  upgrade  from  1000  to  2000 , 
simply  contact  us  for  a  replacement  foam  insert. 
more  information,  circle  34  on  reader  service  can 


Send  for  your  TS  Custom  Case  -  now  ! 

TS  1000  and  2000  Custom  Cases  are 

?ua  ran  teed  for  two  years,  and  cost  just 
79.95  (inc.  postage)  each.  Remember  you 
could  pay  more  for  an  ordinary  briefcase. 

To  order,  simply  use  the  coupon.  Or 
telephone  0276  62155  UK),  weekdays. 

COMPUTEX 

CASES 

Computex  Cases  (JBS),  Stanhope  Road, 
Cambcrlcy,  Surrey,  GUIS  3PS,  England. 

Please  allow  28  day*  for  delivery.  14-dav  rmmev-hack  undertaking 

n 


lb:  Computes  Gases  UBS),  Stanhope  Road, 
Camber  Key*  Surrey,  GL15  3PS,  England. 


Please  send  me  - 


.  (qty)  TS  1000  Custom  Case  s) 


at  $79.95  (inc,  airmail  postage)  each  01. 

Please  send  me _ _ (qry)  TS  2000  Custom  Case  s 

at  $79.95  :  lnc.  airmail  postage  each 
Pl ease  debit  my  □  Mastercard  □  Visa 


Please  tick  box  as  applicable.  PLEASE  PRINT. 
Signal urc _ _ _ _ _ _ _ -  -  -. _ _ 


Name:  Mr/Mn/Ms  _ 


Gty _ 

State  _ 


Reg.  in  England  no:  991 2S8. 


7Jp 


TSUSM5 


65 


Arguably  the  most  famous  personality 
in  the  world  computer  industry,  Clive 
Sinclair  remains  something  of  an 
enigma.  Bill  Richardson  profiles  the 
man  who  helped  pioneer  the  home 
computer  —  selling  over  a  million 
Sinclair  computers  worldwide,  and 
600,000  more  in  the  United  States 
under  the  Timex  name 


The  Paradoxical  World  of 


NOW  42,  and  with  his  com¬ 
pany,  Sinclair  Research, 
recently  valued  at  over  200 
million  dollars,  Clive  Sinclair  can 
reflect  on  a  20-year  career  in  elec¬ 
tronics  which  has  established  him 
as  Britain's  leading  high- 
technology  entrepreneur. 

He  has  many  ‘firsts'  to  his  name, 
from  the  world's  first  pocket 
calculator  (1972)  and  pocket  televi¬ 
sion  (1977),  through  to  the  first 
home  computer  under  $100  (1983). 
Ignoring  those  who  believed  that 
only  experts  were  interested  in 
computers,  his  aggressive 
marketing  has  taken  Sinclair 
Research  to  the  top. 

He  is  both  inventor  and  en¬ 
trepreneur,  points  acknowledged 
recently  by  two  major  British 
awards. 

First,  the  leading  industry  weekly 
Computing  made  him  ‘person  of  the 
decade’,  in  recognition  of  a 
10-years1  radical  and  successful 
new  product  and  development. 
Shortly  after  the  Guardian 
newspaper  made  Clive  its  ‘young 
businessman  of  the  year’  —  and  the 
latest  in  an  august  line  which  in¬ 
cluded  Sir  Michael  Edwards, 
savior  of  the  country’s  onetime  ail¬ 
ing  car  giant,  BL. 

Yet  his  response  was  typically 
enigmatic.  Td  have  done  anything 
to  avoid  this,’  he  joked  at  Com¬ 
puting’s  lunch  presentation,  and, 
speaking  to  the  prestige  audience 


Clive 

Sinclair 

packing  London’s  Mansion  House, 
at  the  Guardian  award  ceremony, 
quipped,  “I’m  neither  young  nor  a 
businessman.” 

“Uncle  Clive  ”  to  the  British 
man-in-the-street,  he  remains 
essentially  shy,  shunning  personal 
publicity,  except  where  it  furthers 
his  company  or  his  products. 

“Money/*  said  this  multi¬ 
millionaire  in  a  recent  interview, 
“is  only  a  means  to  an  end,  not  to 
make  me  wealthy  but  to  produce 
useful  products  which  I  think  peo¬ 
ple  will  enjoy.” 

He  himself  lives  modestly  —  his 
company  reflecting  the  same 
restrained  and  polished  style.  His 
‘highs’  come,  he  says,  “from  doing 
for  a  dime  what  any  fool  can  do  for 
a  dollar"  —  to  translate  a  favorite 
English  phrase. 

Sinclair  has  no  formal  elec¬ 
tronics  training  and  opted  not  to  go 
to  university,  preferring  to  learn  on 
the  job.  He  worked  briefly  as  a  jour¬ 
nalist  before  setting  up  his  own 
company  in  1962. 

Radio  and  amplifier  kits  were  his 
first  products  with  hi-fi  systems  ad¬ 
ded  in  the  late  1960s.  During  these 
formative  years  he  established  the 


principles  which  govern  almost  all 
Sinclair  products  —  miniaturizing 
approach,  low-cost  for  high  perfor¬ 
mance,  and  a  high-quality  ap¬ 
pearance. 

His  aggressive  style  has  not 
always  met  with  approval.  Once  in 
the  late  1970s  as  Sinclair  worked  on 
digital  watches,  pocket  televisions 
and  industrial  instruments,  his  con- 
centration  on  research  and 
development  led  the  company  into 
a  troubled  period. 

Government  financial  aid  and  in¬ 
tervention,  via  Britain’s  National 
Enterprise  Board  (NEB),  Followed. 
Disagreeing  with  the  NEB’s 
cautious  policy  on  consumer  elec¬ 
tronics,  Sinclair  moved  out  to 
establish  a  new  company,  Sinclair 
Research,  and  to  vindicate  himself 
entirely  with  the  personal  com¬ 
puter. 

Beginning  with  the  ZX8Q  and  an 
initial  staff  of  only  seven,  Sinclair 
Research  has  grown  extremely 
rapidly.  It  grossed  130,000  sales 
with  the  ZX80,  and  now  well  over  a 
million  with  the  more  advanced 
T/S100GtZX81, 

Measuring  just  6”  x  6%”  x  IVa”, 
the  ZX81  took  miniaturization  to  its 
logical  conclusion.  Utilizing  a  four- 
chip  design  based  on  a  Sinclair- 
designed  ULA  it  maximizes  high- 
performance  for  low-cost  —  cur¬ 
rently  just  $69  in  the  United  States, 
—  and  presents  a  high-quality  ap¬ 
pearance,  confirmed  by  the  U.K. 


66 


TIMEX  SINCLAIR  USER  June  1983 


Design  Council's  1982  award. 

Behind  this  product  lies  an 
integrated  design  approach, 
stemming  from  a  clearly 
defined  business  philosophy. 
Sinclair  firmly  believes  in 
keeping  his  company  small  — 
even  today  there  are  only  55 
direct  employees  —  enabling 
complete  cooperation  bet¬ 
ween  all  departments. 

That  way  he  aims  to  avoid 
problems  of  large  manage¬ 
ment  superstructures  and  a 
bureaucracy  which  might  sti¬ 
fle  creativity,  so  vital  to  a  fast- 
moving  and  increasingly  com¬ 
petitive  business. Sinclair  sub¬ 
contracts  all  manufacture 
and  most  distribution. 

Out  of  its  major  relationship  with 
Timex  grew  the  present  agreement 
which,  in  return  for  a  royalty  on  all 
sales,  licenses  Timex  to  use 
Sinclair's  technology  and  name  to 

“You  set  an  objective  —  an 
office  robot,  say  —  and  plot 
back  from  that  the  steps 
necessary  to  achieve  it” 

manufacture  and  market  personal 
computers,  computer  peripherals 
and  software  throughout  North 
America. 

Sinclair  believed  that  Timex's 
manufacturing  expertise  with  the 
ZX81,  allied  with  its  acknowledged 
marketing  expertise  in  North 
America,  where  it  has  around 
70,000  outlets,  would  prove  a  for¬ 
midable  combination  —  a  belief 
well-proven  by  T/S1000  sales. 

Interestingly,  the  agreement 
covers  present  and  future 
developments  at  Sinclair  together 
with  Timex's  own  developments  of 
the  basic  technology.  There  is  no 
theoretical  restriction  on  the  poten¬ 
tial  of  new  computers. 

Beyond  the  T/S10GG,  Timex  ex¬ 
pects  to  introduce  later  this  year  its 
version  of  Sinclair's  Spectrum, 
dubbed  theT/S200Q.  Spectrum,  cur¬ 
rently  priced  from  about  $185  in 
the  ILK.,  follows  the  usual  in¬ 
novative  Sinclair  pattern  and  with 
its  powerful  16K  ROM  and  max¬ 
imum  48K  RAM  has  opened  a  ma¬ 


jor  new  market.  More  than  200,000 
have  been  sold  in  the  U.K.  alone. 

The  agreement  exemplifies 
Sinclair's  whole  approach  —  sub¬ 
contract  wherever  appropriate, 
simple  communication  and  flex¬ 
ibility.  He  abhors  unnecessary  fuss, 
producing  a  withdrawn  yet  ag¬ 
gressive  business  style  which 
matches  the  personality  and  helps 
explain  the  enigma. 

He  believes  his  ideas  illustrate  a 
fundamental  change  now  evolving 
in  the  West's  economic  structure. 
Increasingly  he  sees  manufacturing 
employment  declining  —  with  work 
moving  out  to  the  Third  World 
once  products  become  traditional. 

Then,  he  says,  you  start  again  — 
creating  something  new.  By  the 
1990s,  he  hopes  that  Britain  will 

Clive  says  he  likes  “to  do 
for  a  dime  what  any  fool 
can  do  for  a  dollar” 

have  turned  to  the  ‘products  of  the 
mind'  —  books,  video  programs, 
computer  software,  design  and 
consultancy  services,  health  and 
education  packages. 

Sinclair  Research,  he  is  confi¬ 
dent,  has  a  major  role  to  play  in  that 
kind  of  world.  Later  this  year,  it 
will  launch  a  new  2"  pocket  televi¬ 
sion,  incorporating  advanced  flat- 
screen  technology.  A  color  version 
will  follow  and  there  are  tentative 
plans  to  incorporate  an  enlarged 


screen  into  future  computer 
developments. 

Sinclair  is  currently  explor¬ 
ing  new  ideas,  many  of  them 
perhaps  years  from  commer¬ 
cial  exploitation,  and  his  ex¬ 
planation  of  the  process  offers 
a  fascinating  insight. 

"What  one  does,  in  fact,  is 
to  see  a  distant  objective  —  an 
office  robot,  say  —  and  to  plot 
back  from  that  all  the  steps 
that  would  need  to  be  taken  to 
achieve  it.  Having  done  that 
you  might  find  that  some  of 
these  steps  couldn't  be  taken, 
so  you  would  drop  the  idea  for 
a  while  —  or  try  to  find  solu¬ 
tions  to  those  problems. 

"Take  for  example  the  elec¬ 
tric  car  that  1  propose  to  bring  out 
in  1985.  Fve  been  toying  with  the 
idea  of  doing  an  electric  vehicle  for 
about  12  years,  and  done  various 
little  experimental  vehicles  to  try 

Sinclair  Research  plans  to 
introduce  a  pocket  TV  this 
year  and  an  electric  car  in 
_ 1965  ,  .  ■ _ 

out  this  idea  or  that.  But  it  wasn't 
until  two  or  three  years  ago  that 
there  had  been  enough  innovation 
in  all  kinds  of  fields  to  give  us  a 
package  that  clicked." 

One  might  imagine  that  the 
man's  life  is  devoted  solely  to  elec¬ 
tronics  but  he  has  a  wide  range  of 
outside  interests,  ranging  from 
mathematics  —  interestingly,  he 
prefers  a  slide  rule  to  calculators  or 
computers  —  to  the  theatre. 
Perhaps  his  greatest  personal  love 
is  poetry. 

He  is  also  a  trustee  of  the  Cam¬ 
bridge  Symphony  Orchestra  and 
chairman  of  the  British  Mensa 
Society  —  an  organization  which 
encourages  intellectual  contact 
among  all  walks  of  life. 

Somewhere  between  the  inven¬ 
tor  and  the  entrepreneur,  between 
the  aggressive  business  style  and 
quiet  individual,  between  the  elec¬ 
tronics  ideas  and  the  cultural  in¬ 
terests,  lies  the  resolution  of  the 
Sinclair  enigma  —  and  the  sparking 
point  for  a  very  successful  man.a/*0 


TIMEX  SINCLAIR  USER  June  1983 


67 


ILLUSTRATION  ©  ]»79  BY  STAN  GILLIAM 


These 

kids’ 

books 

make 

learning 

fun 


Computers  for  Kids 
and  Katie  and  the  Computer 


THERE  are  many  books  on  the 
market  today  aimed  at 
teaching  kids  how  to  get  the 
most  from  their  home  computers. 
Two  of  these  are  Computers  for 
Kids,  by  Sally  Greenwood  Larsen, 
and  Katie  and  the  Computer,  by 
Fred  D'lgnazio.  Both  are  From 
Creative  Computing  Press  and  both 
should  delight  young  computer 
users  everywhere, 

Katie  presents  an  Alice  in 
Wonderland-type  of  story  in  which 
a  young  girl  travels  inside  a  home 
computer  to  see  how  it  works.  The 
machine  is  presented  as  a  fantasy 
world  of  excitement  and  mystery; 
its  various  functions  are  per¬ 
sonified  as  workers  in  a  large 
metropolis.  Through  her  computer 
travels,  Katie  witnesses  first-hand 
how  each  function  operates  as  she 
visits  each  worker  on  a  quest  to  pro¬ 
duce  a  picture  of  a  flower  on  her 
monitor.  She  learns  that  each  byte 
(worker)  represents  a  specific 
number  or  letter  and  that  the 
various  functions  (also  workers) 
must  work  together  in  a  precise 
order  to  produce  the  desired 
results. 

There  are  no  ‘how-to's1  in  this 
book.  It  will  not  teach  children  who 
already  have  home  computers  how 
to  use  them.  More  of  a  bedtime 
story  along  the  lines  of  a  fairy  tale, 
Katie  and  the  Computer  is  useful  for 


introducing  children  to  the  idea  of 
operating  a  home  computer,  for 
they  will  easily  identify  with  Katie 
as  she  feels  “happy,  scared,  and  sil¬ 
ly  all  at  the  same  time.”  Like  Katie, 
children  may  discover  that  using  a 
home  computer  is  “better  than  a 
roller  coaster.” 

Computers  for  Kids,  on  the  other 
hand,  is  a  straightforward  4how-to' 
book  that  will  guide  home  com¬ 
puter  users  of  all  ages  through  the 
various  functions  of  the  computer 
by  practical  application.  Its  step-by- 
step  instructions  allow  hands-on 
application  of  principles  that  are 
outlined  clearly  and  precisely.  It  is 
laid  out  attractively  in  lesson  form 
with  kids  in  mind:  the  lesson  on 
flowcharting,  for  example,  presents 
the  problem,  “How  to  Scare  your 
Mom  with  an  Elephant,” 

Unlike  Katie  and  the  Computer, 
which  is  a  hardcover  book  with  full 
color  illustrations  (by  Stan  Gilliam), 
Computers  for  Kids  is  a  softcover 
edition  with  black  and  white  il- 


A  programming 
bug  from 
Katie. 


lustrations.  But  the  illustrations  are 
secondary  to  the  text,  which  in¬ 
cludes  sections  on  flowcharting, 
programming,  saving  and  loading, 
and  explains  terms  used  in  Basic. 
Computers  for  Kids  introduces 
children  to  the  computer  in  a 
friendly,  no-nonsense  way,  and  en¬ 
courages  exploration  and  ex¬ 
perimentation.  It  emphasizes  that 
knowledge  and  know-how  in¬ 
creases  with  practice,  and  en¬ 
courages  users  to  create  and  try  out 
their  own  programs,  A  very  helpful 
special  section  is  aimed  at  helping 
parents  and  teachers,  but  the  book 
is  so  easy  to  follow  and  the  lessons 
so  well  explained  that  most  kids 
should  be  able  to  follow  it  quite 
easily  on  their  own.  And  once 
they’ve  read  the  book  and  practiced 
the  lesson  assignments,  they  will 
have  developed  a  sound  under¬ 
standing  of  their  computer  and  will 
be  ready  to  go  on  to  a  more  in-depth 
study  of  computer  language  and 
technology.  But  of  course  they'll 
just  think  they're  having  fun. 

To  be  useful  as  a  learning  guide, 
Katie  and  the  Computer  would  un¬ 
questionably  have  to  be  used  in 
conjunction  with  a  book  such  as 
Computers  for  Kids.  Katie  inspires 
questions  it  does  not  answer.  It  will 
take  its  place  on  the  shelf  beside 
other  childrens’  stories,  but  Com¬ 
puters  for  Kids  will  be  kept  within 
reach  of  the  computer,  a  useful 
guide  and  reference  for  the  novice 
of  any  age,  —  M.  K.  Wilson 


68 


TIMEX  SINCLAIR  USER  /tine  1983 


about  ROMs 


IN  Understanding  Your  ZX-&1 
ROM,  by  Ian  Logan,  the  reader 
doesn't  have  to  contend  with  an 
update  from  the  Sinclair  ZX-80. 
Hold  your  joy,  however,  because 
since  the  book  was  published 
Sinclair  has  modified  their  original 
8K  ROM  monitor.  A  two-page  in¬ 
sert  at  the  front  of  the  book  explains 
the  differences,  which  are  about  a 
3-byte  offset  from  many  of  the 
figures  given  in  the  text  Of  course, 
as  time  passes  other  ZX  ROMs 
monitor  versions  will  appear  as 
these  hidden  trouble  spots  create 
problems  and  need  to  be 
eliminated. 

The  author  logically  assumes 
that  the  reader  has  a  working 
knowledge  of  Timex/Sinclair  Basic. 
He  also  writes  for  the  person  who 
knows  the  essential  flow  of  a  com¬ 
puter  program.  Following  a  quick 
review  of  the  five  basic  I/O  systems 
for  the  ZX81,  the  author  gives  an 
excellent  overview  on  the  function 
of  the  Z  log  Z80  CPU. 

A  brief  introduction  to  machine 
coding  is  covered  and  contrasted 
with  a  like  program  segment  in 
Basic.  The  author  covers  simple 
mathematics  by  explaining 
arithmetic  in  absolute  binary  and 
two's  complement. 

Armed  with  a  two-page  overview 
of  hexadecimal  coding  (HEX),  the 
author  does  an  excellent  job  of 
tackling  the  Z00  machine  code  in¬ 
struction  set.  The  instruction  set  is 
conveniently  divided  into  18  major 
groups  based  on  their  functions.  A 
definite  plus  to  the  book  would 
have  been  a  table  in  the  back  with 
instructions  given  in  the  18  major 
groups. 

The  explanation  of  each  group  is 
given  by  referring  to  the  8K  ROM 
for  examples.  By  the  time  the 
reader  has  finished  reading  about 
all  18  groups,  he  should  have  gain- 
ed  excellent  insight  into  the  work¬ 
ings  of  the  T/S100Q  monitor  and 
Basic  interpreter. 

However,  don't  try  to  cover  all  18 
groups  in  one  reading.  Dr.  Ian 


Understanding  Your  ZX-81  ROM 

Logan  has  put  many  hours  into  the 
preparation  of  his  text  and  the 
reader  will  need  considerable  time 
to  assimilate  the  information. 

Logan  gives  the  reader  another 
chance  if  things  get  fuzzy  on  the 
first  run-through  on  the  18  instruc¬ 
tion  code  groups.  Chapter  Five 
demonstrates  machine  code  pro¬ 
grams  for  each  group.  Basic 
routines  are  also  included  to  reveal 
the  differences.  These  programs 
are  short  and  require  less  than  IK 
of  RAM.  Finally,  Chapter  Six  pro¬ 
vides  a  good  overview  of  the  8K 
ROM  monitor  program. 


The  reader  is  going 

to  need  several  sessiomrwith  this 
book.  But  once  he's  gotten  the  in¬ 
formation,  he  can  dazzle  his  friends 
in  a  ZX81/Timex  user  group  by 
writing  a  few  machine  code 
routines. 

The  book  will  also  be  an  in¬ 
valuable  reference  guide  for  some¬ 
one  using  machine  code  routines. 
The  publishers, Melbourne  House, 
seem  opposed  to  any  sort  of  index. 
Such  an  index  would  have  been  a 
valuable  addition. 

—  Warren  Smith 
and  Harry  Petheram 


Fresh  air 
from  Reston 


Making  the  Most  of  Your  Timex  Sinclair 


IF  YOU’VE  ever  had  to  struggle 
through  page  after  page  of  a  bor¬ 
ing  book,  you'll  really  appreciate 
this  breath  of  fresh  air:  in  fact, 
customs  officials  should  have 
bestowed  it  a  personality  award. 
It’s  fun.  The  writing  is  very 
readable  and  will  please  both  adult 
and  child. 

The  book  oozes  personality.  Part 
of  that  allure  lies  in  its  immigrant 
status:  it  was  originally  printed  in 
England  and  brought  to  the  United 
States  by  Reston.  The  American 
version  is  an  intact  duplicate  of  its 
British  counterpart  —  Britishisms 
and  all. 

About  30  programs  are  stuffed 
into  its  pages.  Each  chapter  in¬ 
cludes  a  preamble,  discussing  par¬ 
ticulars  of  each  program,  an  ex¬ 
planation  of  how  each’s  logic 
works,  and  a  program  listing.  Pro¬ 
grams  include  home  applications 
for  record  keeping,  a  decision 
maker,  an  ESP  test,  a  math  quiz, 


Lost  In  Space,  UFO,  and  a  sprink¬ 
ling  of  light-hearted  games. 

Besides  the  programs  which 
make  up  the  main  body  of  the  book, 
there  are  a  few  other  important 
features.  The  beginning  of  the  book 
details  the  working  nature  of  the 
graphics  commands  and  random 
number  strategies.  These,  by  the 
way,  are  the  two  all-important  keys 
to  making  a  game  interesting. 
Understanding  them  lends  pro¬ 
gram  design  a  clearer  track. 

The  back  of  the  book  offers  some 
useful  subroutines  —  a  compen¬ 
dium  of  short  programs  designed  to 
make  program  writing  less 
frustrating.  Of  these,  the  most 
valuable  is  the  line  renumbering 
utility.  This  program  alone  justifies 
my  purchase  of  the  book, 

Hartnell’s  book  was  one  of  the 
first  Timex/Sinclair  books  publish¬ 
ed  in  this  country,  and  one  of  the 
top  sellers.  No  wonder!  0^0 
—  Tim  Banse 


TIMEX  SINCLAIR  USER  June  1903 


69 


“CLEVER  CONTEST” 


'0 


WRITE  AN  UNUSUAL 
PROGRAM 
AND  WIN  $20 

10  WINNERS 

Here  it  is  —  Timex  Sinclair  User's  second  pro¬ 
gramming  competition.  Write  a  program, 
any  length,  IK  to  16K,  that  does  something 
unusual  —  not  a  game  —  not  necessarily 
useful  —  just  something  unusuall 
Maybe  it  produces  the  Illusion  of  color  on  a 
black  and  white  television;  maybe  it  presents 
the  most  startling  graphic  we've  ever  seen; 
maybe  —  well,  you  do  it  and  we’ll  judge  it. 

Make  it 

CLEVER,  DIFFERENT, 
STRANGE  &  UNUSUAL 

and  you  could  win  $20! 


Fill  in  the  entry  form  at  right 
and  send  it  to  us  along  with 
your  program  and  a  short  ex¬ 
planation  of  what  it  does.  (You 
may  send  a  cassette,  but  please 
accompany  it  with  a  neatly- 
typed  or  beautifully  hand¬ 
written  listing.)  Your  entry  must 
reach  us  by  July  15, 1983.  Please 
mark  envelope,  “Clever  Con¬ 
test."  Judges’  decisions  final; 
employees  of  ECC  Publications 
ineligible. 


I 

Send  to: 

CLEVER  CONTEST,  c/o  Timex 
Sinclair  User,  49  LaSalle 
Avenue.  Buffalo,  N.Y.  14214 


Name  _ 

Street  _ 

City  _ State 


.Zip. 


Program  Title. 


Sorry,  no  submission  can  be  returned. 


~B>H//efihr£ 


Got  some  information  you’d  like  to  share  regarding 
a  new  product  or  service  or  idea?  Organizing  an  event 
you’d  like  to  see  listed?  Let  us  know! 

Write  to  Bulletin  Board,  Timex  Sinclair  User, 

49  La  Salle  Avenue,  Buffalo,  N.Y.  14214 


2-Bit  Software  of  Del 

Mar,  California,  has  in¬ 
troduced  a  software  four- 
pack  that  satirizes  the 
suburban  homemaker-  Mad 
Dash  test  your  ability  to 
race  through  the  house 
when  you  haven’t  had  a 
break  all  day  ,  while  Car/ooJ 
demands  that  you  figure  out 
how  to  use  the  least  amount 
of  gas  while  running  er¬ 
rands  all  over  town.  Har¬ 
ried  House  wife  rewards  you 
with  a  hot  bath  and  nap 
after  a  hectic  day  that  in- 

Software 

satirizes 

suburbanites 

eludes  a  dazed  search  for 
your  car  in  the  parking  lot 
of  Shopping  Mail.  If  you 
want  to  learn  more,  circle 
63  on  the  reader  service 
card  and  drop  it  in  the  mail 
V...  *'We  may  have  a 
keyboard  for  the  T/S1000," 
Pegasus  Micro  Systems  of 
Chestertown,  Maryland, 
tells  us,  "that  will  allow  you 
single  stroke  or  at  least  you 
will  only  have  to  hit  one 
shift  key  to  get  a  command. 
This  differs  from  the  cur- 
rent  keyboard  where  you 
have  to  hit  five  keys  to  get  to 
the  command  you  want,” 
Pegasus  comprises  a  group 
of  programmers  who  have 
recently  turned  to 
marketing  their  own  pro¬ 
ducts;  their  winged-horse 
log  o  is  d  is  E  inctive.  The  i  r 
product  list  includes  pro¬ 
grams  written  in-house  and 
by  outside  programmers;  it 
is  limited  at  the  moment  to 
a  program  of  lists  and  an 
astromap,  both  of  which 
need  the  16K  RAM  pack. 


They  plan  more  software 
and  hardware  for  the  pro¬ 
posed  T/S2000.  For  more  in¬ 
formation,  circle  64  on 
reader  service  card  .  , . 
Syntech  has  brought  out  a 
motherboard  known  as 
MicroMother  which  will  at¬ 
tach  to  the  T/SlOOO  through 
a  ribbon  cable  and  will  ac¬ 
commodate  up  to  four  cir¬ 
cuit  hoards.  The  company 
has  also  developed  a  series 
of  boards  for  use  with  the 
mother  and  known  as 
MicroDaughters.  They  in¬ 
clude  a  PROM  program¬ 
mer,  an  IBM  keyboard 
driver  modem  and  a  real 
time  clock.  Further  infor¬ 
mation  can  be  obtained  by 
circling  65  on  the  reader 
service  card  .  .  Orbyte 
Software  of  Waterbury, 
Connecticut,  is  offering  a 
software  package  that  pits 
you  against  the  computer  in 
a  four-tiered  version  of  the 
old  standard.  Tic  Tac  Toe,  a 
game  that  prehistoric  men 
must  have  played  on  the 
wails  of  their  caves.  Expo 
Tic-Toc-Toe  can  be  played 
at  four  levels  of  difficulty 
from  beginner  to  impossi- 
ole.  For  more  information, 
circle  66  on  reader  service 
card  ...  In  their  newsletter 
of  March  1983,  the  Sinclair 
Users’  Network  of  Palatine, 
Illinois,  recommends  the 
E-Z  Key  60  keyboard  by  E-Z 
Key.  Quotable  quotes: 
"Now  .  . .  we  all  can  benefit 
from  depressable  keys 
without  knowing  what  a 
good  solder  joint  looks  like 
. . .  The  keys  feel  good  and 
provide  excellent  tactile 
and  audible  feedback  . ,  .  It 
has  been  found  to  be  easy  to 
connect,  trouble-free,  and  a 
great  aid  in  the  entry  of 
keywords  and  data  i  + .”  For 


more  information  on  the 
E-Z  Key  00,  circle  67  on  the 
reader  service  card  and 
watch  our  Hardware  pages 
.  .  .  ZX-Panding  Ltd.  of 
Newton,  N.C.,  has  introduc¬ 
ed  what  it  claims  is  the  first 
complete  data  storage  pro¬ 
gram  with  graphing 
capabilities  for  the 
T/S1000.ZX91,  Their  Data 
Storage  and  Display  System 
($14.75)  "allows  you  to 
closely  monitor  stock 
market,  experimental  or 
any  numerical  data  .  * , 
These  values  can  be  stored 
in  up  to  25  files  in  the  com¬ 
puter  and  then  recalled  as  a 
tabular  list  or  graph  accom¬ 
panied  by  a  data  summary.” 
For  more  information,  cir* 
ale  68  on  reader  service 
card  . . .  E.  Arthur  Brown 
Company  of  Alexandria, 
Maine,  has  published  the 


Timex-Sindair  1983  Direc¬ 
tory,  a  90-page  softcover 
book  that  lists,  describes 
and  provides  photographs 
of  available  peripherals  and 
software  for  the 
T/SlOOOjZXSl,  The  book, 
which  will  sell  for  $S,  is 
subtitled,  "Where  to  Find 
Practically  Everything  for 
the  Timex-Sinclair  Com¬ 
puter,”  and  includes  an  up- 
to-the-minute  directory  of 
suppliers.  For  more  infor¬ 
mation,  circle  69  on  the 
reader  service  card  and 
watch  our  book  pages  If 
you’ve  got  a  new  product  or 
service  or  idea  that  you'd 
like  to  share  with  our 
readers,  write  to  Bulletin 
Board,  Timex  Sinclair 
User,  49  La  Salle  Avenue, 
Buffalo,  N,Y.  14214. 
Remember,  this  page  is  for 
you!  JIlV  a  sm 


Upcoming  events 


June  1-3  International 

Communications 
Assoc.  Conference 
and  Exposition, 
Anaheim,  CA  *4  . 
1-3  Montreal 

Computer  Show  & 
Conference, 
Montreal  Que. 

5-8  International 
Summer 
Consumer 
Electronics  Show, 
Chicago,  JL 
9-12  Kansas  City 
Computer 
Showcase  Expo, 
Kansas  City,  MO 
12-17  American  Society 
for  Medical 
Technology- 
Meeting  & 

Exhibit,  Los 
Angeles,  CA 
14-16  AFCEA 

Convention  and 


Expo,  'V 

Washington,  DC 

14- 18  Micro  Expo, 

-  Paris,  F  woe, 4  y 

15- 19  Milwaukee 

Computer 
Showcase, 
Milwaukee,  WI 
19-22  Internationa] 
Conference  on 
Communications, 
Boston,  MA 

22-4  Computerama  '83, 
Toronto,  Gnt. 

27-29  Videotext  '83, 

New  York,  NY 
29-7/i  Dexpof Europe, 
London,  Eng, 

July  11-13  Meeting  World, 
New  York,  NY 
25-29  Siggraph  '83, 
Detroit,  MI 
29-31  Los 

Angeles/Produx 
t*  2000,  Los 
Angeles,  CA 


TIMEX  SINCLAIR  USER  June  1983 


71 


Use  this  free 
info  service 


To  obtain  more  information  on  any  adver¬ 
tiser  or  product  in  Timex  Sinclair  User,  cir¬ 
cle  the  appropriate  number  on  the  reader 
service  card . 


w*sv.v:va 


•v.v.**%v 


* ♦ * ♦ *  ■  *  *■ 


i*'.* 
■  *ftn 

il! 


mmm 


don’t  miss  this 

INCREDIBLE  OFFER  l 

50  GAMES 


1995 


on  cassette  forali 
the  following: 

TIMEX 


FOR  YOUR  MICRO- COMPUTER 


GALACTIC  ATTACK 
SMCE  MISSHjf. 

lunar  lander 

PU(  t 

ITABTS’I  K 
RAUA<*  lANftlWCi 
ATTACH  EH 

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INTRUDER 

INFERNO 

GHOSTS 


order  direct  Id:  - 
mCA©C  37  Fruehaut  Sirwt 
- MY,  14226 


MINIMUM  SIZE  COMPUTER  REQUIRED 

"uppHTcassewe  m50  Tor 

I  ©00*01  a  cheque/ PO 
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COMPUTER 


Zip  Code 


For  more  in  format  ion,  circle35  on  Reeder  Service  Card 


Page  Advertiser  Circle 

Number 

Brainchild  , . . 21 

13  Byte  Back  . . , . . .  6 

72  Cascade . . . *  *  *  * .  35 

11  Computer  Entrepreneur  ... _ 7 

65  Computex  Cases  . . 34 

72  Cover  Craft . 36 

48-49  DK'Tronics  . . 19 

45  Eagle  Sales  Co. - -  .  . . .  16 

62  E.  Arthur  Brown  .............. 

64  Electronics  &  Computing  . . 33 

62  Electronic  Tech.  Today .  . . 30 

26  Expense  Cutter  10 

41  E-Z  Key . 9 

31  Felix  Software  .  .  . . 15 

8  Filesixty  . . . , ,  40 

20-21  Gladstone  Electronics  . .  8 

C2  Gladstone  Electronics . 37 

54  Hunter . .  20 

6  Innovation  . . 3 

55  Intercomputer  . . 23 

18  Inti.  Pub.  &  Software  . .  5 

24  Infl.  Pub.  &  Software . .  17 

26  Kempston  , . .  . . . 11 

26  K5GFT . 12 

62  Laserscan . . .  26 

C4  Leading  Edge . 39 

10  Melbourne  House  .............  4 

C3  Memotech . . 38 

26  Microdevelopments . 13 

64  Microsystems  Development  .....  32 

54  Notting  Dale  Tech.  Ctr . 22 

57-60  Prism  Microproducts . 24 

62  Run-it  . . . . 25 

31  Sinclair  Place  ........... _ 14 

64  Synchro-Sette . 31 

4*5  Syntax  . . . . 2 

1  Timex  . . 1 

62  Tom  Woods . .  28 

62  York  10 . 27 

32  Zebra  18 


Take  it  with  you  2 


Fieldpro™  now  makes  it  easy  for 
you  to  carry  your  entire  Timex/ 
Sinclair  computer  system  with 
you.  Carry  memory  modules, 
cables,  program  book  and  cassette 
tapes  in  one  case! 

Made  of  waterproof  DuPont® 
Cordura*  nylon  —  fully  foam- 
padded  and  soft-lined,  this  case 
will  last  for  years. 

Contact  us  for  the  dealer  near¬ 
est  you.  Only  $19.95.  (If  ordering 


direct,  include  $2.25  shipping 
charge.) 

Also  available,  anti-static  dust 
cover  for  $6.95.  Order  with  case 
and  save  extra  shipping  charge. 


m 


BY  COVER  CRAFT  W  II  KZ/ 

P.O.  Box  555,  Amherst,  New  Hampshire  03031  *  Telephone  603-889-6611 


72 


For  more  Information,  circle  on  Header  Service  Card. 


TIMEX  SINCLAIR  USER  June  1983 


TIMEX  MAKES  THE 
COMPUTER, 

BUT  WE  MAKE  IT  TICK. 

If  you  own  a  TS-1000  or  ZX-81  computer  and  want  to  bring  out  the  power  within  it,  you’ll  want  Memotech.  From  easier  input  to  high 
quality  output  and  greater  memory,  Memotech  makes  the  add-ons  you  demand.  Every  Memotech  peripheral  J 

comes  in  a  black  anodized  aluminum  case  and  is  designed  to  fit  together  in  “piggy  back"  fashion  enabling  you 

to  continue  to  add  on  and  still  keep  an  integrated  system  look. 

MEMOPAK  RAM  All  Memopak  RAMs  are  directly  addressable,  user  transparent,  are  neither  switched  nor 
paged  and  no  additional  power  supply  is  required.  You  can  also  choose  the  Memopak  RAM  which  is  just 
right  for  your  needs.  From  economy  to  power.  16K  RAM  The  Memopak  16K  RAM  is  the  most 

economical  way  to  add  memory  to  your  TS-1000.  It  is  fully  compatible  with  the  Timex  or  Memotech  16K 
RAMs  to  provide  you  with  up  to  32K  of  RAM.  The  16K  RAM  also  offers  additional  add-on  capabilities 
through  its  “piggy  back”  connection.  32K  RAM  The  322K  Memopak  enables  you  to  execute 
sophisticated  programs  and  store  large  data  bases  and  like  the  16K  RAM  is  hilly  compatible  with  Timex’s  or 
Memotech's  16K  RAMs  to  give  you  a  full  48K  of  RAM.  64K  RAM  The  64K  Memopak  is  powerful 
enough  to  turn  your  TS-1000  into  a  computer  with  capabilities  suitable  for  business  and  educational  use.  It 
accepts  such  BASIC  commands  as  10  DIM  A  (9000) .  MEMOCALC  Memocatc,  our  spreadsheet  analysis 
software,  enables  TS-1000  users  to  perform  complex  number  crunching  routines  with  ease.  With 
the  64K  RAM  a  table  of  up  to  7000  numbers  with  up  to  250  rows  or  99  columns  can  be  specified. 

Quick  revisions  can  be  achieved  by  entering  new  data  to  your  formula. 

MEMOTECH  KEYBOARD  For  ease  of  operation,  the  Memotech  keyboard  is  a  high  quality 
standard  typewriter  keyboard,  with  TS-1000  legends.  The  keyboard  is  cable  connected  to  a  buffered 
interface  which  is  housed  in  a  standard  Memopak  case  and  plugs  directly  into  the  back  of  the 

TS-1000  or  other  Memopaks.  MEMOPAK  HRG  The  Memopak  High  Resolution  Graphics,  with 
up  to  192  by  248  pixel  resolution,  enables  display  of  high  resolution  “arcade  game"  style  graphics 
through  its  resident  2K  EPROM,  programmed  with  a  full  range  of  graphics  subroutines. 
CENTRONICS  PARALLEL  AND  RS232  INTERFACES 
Memotech's  Interfaces  enable  your  TS-1000  to  use  a  wide  range  of 
compatible  printers.  The  resident  software  in  the  units  gives  the 
complete  ASCII  set  of  characters.  Both  Memopak  Interfaces  provide  lower  case  character  capabilities  and 
up  to  80  column  printing.  The  RS232  Interface  is  also  compatible  with  modems  and  terminals. 

SEIKOSHA  GP  IOOA  PRINTER  The  Seikosha  GP  100A  uses  a  5x7  dot  matrix  printing  format  with 
ASCII  standard  upper  and  lower  case  character  set.  Printing  speed  is  30  characters/second  with  a 
maximum  width  of  80  characters.  The  printer  uses  standard  fanfold  paper  up  to 
9-1/2  inches  wide.  The  GP  100A  is  offered  as  a  package  including  cable  and 

interface.  Other  printer  packages  are  also 
available  through  Memotech. 

ORDER  AT  NO  RISK.  All  Memotech 
products  carry  our  10  day  money  back 
guarantee.  If  you’re  not  completely 
satisfied,  return  it  within  ten  days  and  we 
will  give  you  a  full  refund.  And  every 
Memotech  product  comes  with  a  six 
month  warranty.  Should  anything  be 

defective  with  your  Memotech  product,  return  it  to  us  and  we  will  repair  or  replace 
it  free  of  charge.  Dealer  inquiries  welcome,  lb  order  any  Memotech  product  use 

the  order  coupon  or  call  our  toll-free  number  800/662-0949. 


TMOOO  is  1  registered  trademark  of  Tirasx  Corp 


PlmOTtCn 

CORPORATION 

7550  West  Yale  Avenue,  Denver,  Colorado  80227,  303/986-1516,  TOC  910-320^917 


["Mail  To:  Memtdrch  Corporation ,  7550  West  Vale  Avp.,  Denver,  CO  80227 

Pto*  Qty.  Until 

■  IfeK  RAH 

(  49  ft  j 

|  3iK  RAM 

ftft 

|  HK  RAM 

149  ft 

1  Ylemocak 

49  ft 

i  keyboard  with  Interface 

ftft 

.  High  Resolution  Graphics 

ftft 

■  Centronics  Parallel  Interface 

?4ft 

,  K5232  Interface 

ftft 

1  Printer  Cable 

19  ft 

|  GP  ICKlA  Printer  Package*’ 

MM  l 

|  Shipping  and  Handling 

4ft  ( 4ft  1 

1  fix  (Colorado  r&ldents  only) 

TOTAL 

*  1 

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|  “Please  add  an  additional  (5  00  for  printer  shipping  charge 
i  □  Check  □  MaslnCaid  □  Vfca 

J  Account  No 

F.*i> 

:  i  i  1 

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For  more  information  circle,  Reader  Service  Number  38 


Introducing  the  most  logical  place  to  store 
Elephant  Memory  Systems®  (or  lesser  brands 
of  aisks):  The  Trunk. 

With  its  alphabetized  library  index,  you  can 
file  or  retrieve  up  to  60  disks,  instantly. 

The  Trunk  is  made  of  durable  molded 
plastic  with  a  hinged,  one-piece  lid,  to  keep 
disks  safe  from  dust,  dirt,  and  other  detriments 
which  disks  despise. 


And,  it's  portable.  Because  the  lid  doubles 
as  a  carrying  handle  so  your  Elephant  Memory 
Systems®  disks  can  go  anywhere  you  do. 

There’s  a  model  for  5V4"  and  8 "  floppies,  as 
well  as  a  cassette-and-game  file  and  a  special 
Atari®  version. 

So  if  you’re  looking  for  the  best  disk  storage 
system  on  the  market , . . 

The  Trunk  is  an  open-and-shut  case. 


THE  TRUNK.  ENDORSED  DY  ELEPHANTS. 

Elephant  Memory  Systems  Disks 

A  full  line  of  top-quality  floppies,  in  virtually  every  5W  and  8"  model, for  compatibility  with  virtually  every  computer  on  the  market. 
Guaranteed  to  meet  or  exceed  every  industry  standard,  certified  100 %  error  free  and  problem-free,  and  to  maintain  its  quality for  at  least 

12  million  passes  for  over  a  life-time  of  heavy-duty  use / 

Marketed  exclusively  by  Leading  Edge  Products,  Inc..  225  Turnpike  Street.  Qmton.  Massachusetts  02021. 

Call:  toll-free  1-800-343-6833;  or  in  Massachusetts  cal!  collect  1617 )  828-8150.  Telex  951-624. 


For  more  in/ormaiion*  circle  39  on  reader  service  cord.